The Lesser of Two Evils
by MississippiGirl13
Summary: When Hermione and Sirius are forced into a bond of matrimony, they must not only learn to live with each other, but also how to be parents. Are they up for the challenge? Marriage Law with a twist. HGxSB
1. Chapter 1: A Summer Day Gone Bad

**AN:**** hello everyone! New story, which was actually inspired by beetlebug9's fanfiction "Sometimes Problems Are A Good Thing" (which I highly recommend!). Anyways, I think it kind of has a bit of a rough start, but it'll get better. Then again, I'm always really critical of myself, so maybe it actually is a good start. Not entirely sure, but you be the judge! Please Review, I love all your comments! Thanks, and enjoy my story.**

**Disclaimer:**** as we all know, I am not J.K. Rowling, therefore I do not own the characters, any content or ideas from the books, and only the characters I created and the plot (though snippets of the plot belong to beetlebug9, she was my basic inspiration!)**

**Chapter 1:**_**A Summer Day Gone Bad**_

Hermione Granger was tired. It was a beautiful summer day, vacationers exploring London, malls filled up, parks busy, swimming pools bursting beyond capacity, and everyone having a good time. But not Hermione. Instead of visiting with family and friends, enjoying the warmth, she was sitting in her stuffy little office, where she'd sat since the morning before, working diligently on her current assignment. Upon arrival at work the day previous she'd picked up the assignment, and was running around collecting information from all offices. Then, late in the evening, she'd sat down to pull together every. What she'd originally intended to work on for a few hours eventually turned into the full night. It was already morning by the time she bothered to glance at the clock.

A light knocking sounded at the door, and wearily the young woman looked up, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. A man, looking to be somewhere in his late fifties smiled at her from the doorway, his head cocked to the side as he took in her appearance.

"Miss Granger, did you go home at all last night?" he asked, though his amused tone suggested he already knew the answer.

She smiled sheepishly in response, "I just really wanted to get this done. There's that meeting on Friday, and the stuff in here could really help my case for S.P.E.W."

He shook his head, walking into the room holding a newspaper. The gray haired man studied her as he leaned against her desk, eyes searching her face. Hermione felt a blush forming, so ducked her head, shifting awkwardly in her chair.

"Did you need something, Mr. Levise?" it came out after a small, hesitant pause.

He simply shrugged, "Oh no, I was just coming in to see how you'd taken the new. Considerably well, if I must say so."

The brunette frowned. News? What was he talking about? "I'm sorry sir, news?"

Eyebrows rising, the head of her department looked at her in surprise, "You have read this morning's Profit?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, sir, I haven't left this office since yesterday evening."

He sighed, "Well then." Slapping down his copy of the newspaper, he looked grim, "I suppose it's a good thing you're already sitting down then."

The young woman was beyond confused by now, "I don't—"

He held up his hands, "Just read, you'll understand."

Frowning, Hermione unfolded the paper, looking at the front page headline.

**Repopulation Act Passed!**

_As of last night, August 11, The Repopulation Act was read and signed by the Minister. In the makings since last December, it is only now that the requirements and knowledge have been accessed that will ensure a future population of magical witches and wizards. Minister Shacklebolt believes that this new act will be successful. Early this morning when questioned, he said, "I believe people will resist at first, as everyone does in these circumstances, but it is for the greater good."_

_The new law entails the marriage of witches and wizards of age who are capable of reproducing. The ministry has a way to sort through names and pair up couples based on their compatibility. This will help ensure that the marriage will be successful and painless as possible for both parties. After the marriage, the new spouses will give a piece of their hair to be used in a spell, which will then create children. It is similar to a complex idea created by muggles called "cloning," however, it instead mixes two sets of genetic codes together to create a living, breathing child. It is exactly like any development of a child, though at an accelerated rate outside of the womb._

_Those who qualify for the law will be contacted within the day with a letter stating who their intended is and when they will meet with their Ministry officer—a councilor of the newly formed Department of Marital Management and Affairs. They will go over all the requirements and fine details on one's meeting date. Resistance to the law will result in automatic termination of one's magic, and banishment from the Wizarding world. _

Hermione reread the article multiple times, looking at the pictures of Shacklebolt talking to multiple reporters, searching anything for some sign of this being a joke. Some sort of loophole, or out. She saw nothing, just a cold reality. She either married and became a mother much sooner than she ever wished, or she lost her magic. It was really very simple. One or the other. One evil, over another evil. There was a lump in her throat. She felt like she was choking as a large hand landed on her shoulder, rubbing it soothingly.

"Miss Granger, I would like you to take the day off. You worked the whole night, you must be exhausted, and this shock isn't doing you any good. Go home, get some rest, talk to your friends." Levise said, voice filled with sympathy. Of course it would be. He was married already. He'd had four children and had six grandchildren, with another on the way. He'd done his job to populate the Wizarding world, he had nothing to fear.

"Miss Granger, please." He repeated, giving a small shake, unfreezing her from the shock. Shakily, she nodded in agreement, standing from her chair and gathering her things in a daze. Levise watched her with worried eyes as she left the office, looking as though the world had ended. It seemed she wasn't taking the law nearly as well as he might have hoped.

**0o.o0o.o0**

Upon leaving her office, Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Her mind was too occupied. So, instead she apparated straight to the Burrows, wishing to seek comfort from the large family. Hermione didn't even manage to knock on the door before it was swung open, revealing a distressed Ron Weasley. He was frowning, eyes squinting, suggesting a headache, and his ears were red with anger. Seeing her, he wasted no time in pulling her into a hug.

Hermione melted into his hold, burying her face into his chest. Their relationship was a peculiar one. They'd been on again, off again since the end of the war, though currently they were in an "off again" faze. Despite this, the two would always be friends. Hermione often wondered why they even bothered trying to make things work. They fought too much, were too strong willed to accept the other's compromises, and were simply too different for it to ever work between them. They were both better friends, and they'd openly admitted to each other that was for the best. And yet, somehow or another they found themselves together again.

At the moment, their hug was nothing but platonic, two stressed and desperate souls recognizing the distress in the other, and taking comfort in each other's anxiety. Hermione breathed in his familiar smell, fear gripping her heart.

"What took you so long?" Ron mumbled, pulling back and looking at her. "Everyone's already been here for hours."

"Sorry, I was working... pulled and all-nighter, I only just learned..."

Ron's lip twitched, though only slightly. Hermione wondered if anyone would be able to smile again. "Typical Hermione, working all through the night." He kissed her head affectionately, then nodded towards the kitchen. "We've all gathered in there. I'll warn you now, things aren't looking good. Harry and Ginny are in this depression thing—they're worried they won't be paired together. Charlie was so angry he actually broke some of Mum's good china..."

Hermione sighed nodding tiredly as she reached up and held his cheek in one hand, searching his face. What were the chances they would be paired together..? The paper had said they would pair people up based on compatibility. She and Ron were not compatible. They never had been. Yet she still wished things could have been different. They both understood they couldn't be together, but she had always believed they would have time to adjust to the reality. Now... Hermione feared deeply that things would turn out awkward between them.

He seemed to sense her thoughts, because he slung an arm over her shoulder, rubbing her arms comfortingly, "We'll be alright, love. No matter what happens today, you are always going to be my friend." Ron made his voice strong, but they both detected the slight tremor of uncertainty. But Hermione wouldn't call him out. He probably needed those words of comfort as much as she did.

Nodding in silent agreement, they two moved into the kitchen. Hermione took in the people around her. Harry and Ginny were, indeed, in something of a depressed state, clinging to each other, Ginny sitting on Harry's lap at the table, her arms wrapped around his neck with her face buried in his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist and head resting on the top of her fiery head. Charlie was pacing the floor, looking stressed and irritable, with Bill watching him, arms crossed and he tried to calm the fuming redhead. The remaining Weasley twin sat at the kitchen table, fingers steepled with his chin resting on them, seeming deep in thought. As it was becoming more frequently seen, there was a frown marring his once happy face. Percy and Arthur Weasley were standing by the back door, talking in hushed tones, Arthur looking concerned and tired, Percy irritated and a bit desperate. At the kitchen stove Molly Weasley stood cooking up a storm, Fleur quietly helping the woman, passing her herbs and spices whenever asked as she held her fifteen month old daughter. And sitting by Harry and Ginny was the one and only Sirius Black, frowning as he murmured inaudible words to the couple.

Yes, Sirius Black. It had been a shock to everyone when it was reported that he was found in the Ministry, disoriented and sickly. In all the confusion of the end of the war, he was shipped back to Azkaban, which now was simply a prison, absent of any dementors. After Harry pulled about a million strings, and Sirius was put through a month long trial, with dozens of eyewitnesses and testimonies, the Wizengamot came to their decision. Sirius Black was found innocent, and all charges were cleared of his record. He was a free man.

Since his freedom was declared Sirius had been enjoying his life to the fullest. Harry had insisted on returning the Black fortune, having his own high paying job as an Auror, along with the remains of his parents' fortune. He was also given Number 12, which is where he lived for the last two years. With the help of many dinners at the Burrows, and lots of exercise, he was a new man, his appearance less hollowed and broken. He was quite a babe magnet and spent most of his weekends partying at pubs and getting laid.

As Hermione entered the kitchen Molly glanced up, gasping and hurrying over, pulling the girl into a hug, "There you are, dear. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

The young woman hugged the motherly woman, taking comfort in the familiar embrace. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I was caught up at work."

They pulled apart, and Mrs. Weasley patted her cheek, smiling softly, "Don't you worry dear. Lunch is nearly ready, why don't you sit down."

Hermione could see the strain in her smile. The woman was just as upset about this law as everyone else. Through her mothering and cooking, she was burning off the anxiety, but Hermione could see the strain in her smile.

Ron and Hermione moved to the table, settling down across from Sirius, Harry, and Ginny. Sirius shot them a helpless glance, and Hermione leaned across the table, catching Harry's eye.

"I don't know what you're worrying about. The both of you are completely compatible. You love each other, so that's another point in favor for you. Plus, you're close friends to Kingsley, I'm sure he can throw his weight in there for you." she reached a hand out, squeezing Harry's when he placed his on the table. "You two will be fine. I'm sure of it."

The two seemed to relax at Hermione's words, Ginny even shifting her face so it met the brunette's gaze. She gave a watery smile in thanks. When Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her education, Ginny and she had grown very close, becoming good friends. They'd always gotten along before, but now Ginny was as close to her as Harry and Ron had always been. And seeing Harry and Ginny both so broken up was killing her inside.

A tapping at the window caused everyone to freeze, even the bustling Mrs. Weasley. Finally, Arthur stepped forward, opening the window and taking the many letters it had. Fingering through them, he handed each one to whomever it was addressed to, a pained look on his face. The last letter made him pause. All the unmarried Weasleys' and Hermione had their letters. Yet one remained.

"Arthur? Who's is that?" Molly asked, moving forward and gasping at seeing the name. Her eyes shot up to land on Sirius, a hand flying to her mouth.

Arthur frowned, stepping forward and holding the letter out to the dark haired man. "It's for you."

"Me?" he gasped, snatching the letter and looking it over, comparing it to Harry's and Ginny's. They were identical, aside from the names they were addressed to. "This must be a joke! I'm forty years old for Merlin's sake!"

"By wizard standards, that is still plenty young enough, especially for a man." Arthur murmured. Looking at all the people in the room, unmoving, letters unopened, he added, "Best get on with it, all of you. It'll only get harder the more you wait."

Hermione once again found a lump in her throat. Swallowing hard, she looked at everyone around her, watching as they all reluctantly began tearing into their envelopes. Breathing out a shuttering breath, she too broke the seal of her letter, and with shaky hands pulled out the letter, carefully unfolding it.

_Dear Ms. Hermione Jean Granger,_

_As stated in the new Reproduction Act signed last evening, you are required to marry and care for the children you are present with. On August 13, at 10:45AM you are to report at the Department of Marital Management and Affairs, level 2. There you will meet with Alfrred Baliss, who will lead you through the process of your marriage and parenthood. We suggest you meet with your intended before the meeting, but if not you will also grow acquainted here. Should you fail to appear at the office at your designated time you will lose your magic, and your future spouse will be given another partner._

_Your partner's name in Sirius Orion Black._

_Sincerely,_

_The Ministry of Magic_

Hermione couldn't breath. She couldn't think. The only thing that seemed to have registered was that last line. _Your partner's name is Sirius Orion Black. _Sirius Orion Black. _Sirius Black!_

Hands shaking violently, the young woman slowly brought her eyes up from the paper, brown orbs connecting with the horrified gray of the man across from her. Everything was going fuzzy. She felt suddenly very lightheaded, and still it was difficult to bring oxygen into her lungs. Her eyes weren't focusing, clouding up in a black fog. The world went dark, and Hermione fainted.


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

**AN:**** whoo, chapter two! I'm having fun writing this, and the reviews are great, always make me feel great about myself. So thank you, all you reviewers! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. Now, on to chapter 2 and all the new drama that will unfold!**

**Disclaimer: don't own the characters, any of the original Harry Potter plots, settings, or any of that. Plot is mine though, even if it was influenced by others! **

**Chapter 2:** _**The Meeting**_

"Mione?" called a faraway voice. She felt someone tapping her face lightly, and slowly she blinked back into consciousness. Looking around, she saw Ron hovering over her, and felt his arms holding her up. Slowly pulling herself into a sitting position on the floor, she blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear her hazy vision, and hand going to her head.

"What happened..?" she asked, looking down. She saw a letter held in her hand, and her stomach clenched.

Ron pushed some hair from her face, looking down in concern, "You looked a bit peaky, and then you just passed out." He nodded towards the letter that she held, "What'd you read in there? It couldn't have been so bad."

Ignoring his question for a moment, she pulled herself to stand, slipping back into her seat. Looking across the table, she saw that Sirius was holding his head in his hands, his letter laying there on the table, looking perfectly innocent. Looking to Harry and Ginny, she saw their concerned expressions, but also the smiles that didn't want to leave. At least someone had gotten some good from the law.

Ron settled back into is seat as well, leaning forward trying to catch her eyes again, which she was desperately avoiding, "Mione? Mione, please say it isn't Malfoy."

Hermione whipped around, looking at him with wide, incredulous eyes, "What? No! Merlin no!"

He relaxed at this, a relieved smile crossing his face, "That's a relief, I must say." His smile turned to a frown, "Then why did you faint? Who could be worse than that git?"

Sirius stiffened, and Hermione frantically tried to collect her thoughts. "He isn't bad," she rushed to say, glancing at him then back at Ron, "really, he's a very decent man. I just... well, he's the last person I would have expected. And I'm already exhausted; I've been working late nights and pulling all-nighters all month, it just caught up with me, with all this stress and sudden shocks..."

"Hermione," Harry voiced, looking at her carefully, "Who are you marrying?"

"Me."

Her brown eyes looked over at Sirius to see him looking up from his hands, a grim expression set on his face. She could feel everyone looking at them now, speechless. She was speechless as well. Sirius looked at her, seeming to be fighting his frown.

"I'm sure it's just a mistake. We can go to the meeting tomorrow, explain how things simply wont work, and get switched to someone else." He assured, sounding more convincing than he looked.

Numbly, Hermione nodded, looking down at her hands, which were fidgeting nervously. Somehow, she couldn't see that working. But what other out did they have? Glancing up at the Weasleys', she asked, "Who did everyone else get?"

When no one volunteered the information on their own, Hermione simply brought her gaze to Ron, expression questioning.

He winced, "Uh... Lavender Brown..."

Her eyes widened, and suddenly she had a very bad taste in her mouth. Hermione did not like Lavender. It was a well known fact. Now, her dislike for the girl wasn't all to do with how she'd dated Ron, because she wasn't childish enough to hold that sort of grudge for so long. What did annoy her was that Lavender was just so... well, girly. She was all giggles and fluttering eyelashes, a complete flirt who had zero ambition or self-respect. But, if she was marrying her best friend, she would just have to get over it.

So, she forced a smile, even if it was a bit painful to do so, "That's... great... Ron. It'll be nice to see her again."

He simply nodded, not looking in the least convinced. Turning to everyone else, she listened as they rattled off their intendeds. Apparently George was destined to marry the one Angelina Johnson, his twin brother's old flame. To say he was happy would be a lie, though he decided it could have been worse. After all, she wasn't Lavender Brown. Charlie would be marrying Katie Bell from George's year. He didn't know a thing about the girl, and was still irritable about having to marry to begin with, so George sat him down to tell him all about his future wife. Percy's wife was a mystery to everyone. A girl named Audrey Delton, he didn't know who she was, and neither did anyone else. They wondered if perhaps she was homeschooled instead of attending Hogwarts. And then of course, Harry and Ginny had gotten lucky. They couldn't wipe the silly smiles from their faces.

Feeling the exhaustion creeping up on her, Hermione finally excused herself, telling everyone she would come by the next day, after her meeting. She and Sirius decided to meet up at the fountain at the Ministry, and then they'd go to the office together. He again assured her, they'd work things out. And again, she was convinced that that wouldn't be the case. But, she didn't voice her thoughts, and instead tried to hope for the best. After all, there was always a chance, wasn't there?

0o.o0o.o0

Walking into the Ministry of Magic, Hermione could see that it was unusually busy, though with all the new meetings she supposed it wasn't too surprising. Looking around, she saw dozens of couples, some looking awkward, others already seeming ready to kill one another. Letting out a shuttering breath, she walked towards the fountain, already spotting Sirius through the crowd. A frown pulled at her lips upon seeing his outfit. Old, worn jeans, black boots, and his leather jacket over a white, stained t-shirt. He couldn't have thought of something more professional? Or at least decent looking?

Sighing, she pushed through the crowd, forcing a smile at Sirius when their eyes met.

"You look like a Hippogriff just stepped on your foot." He stated when Hermione stood before him.

A blush formed, "I... couldn't you have put something... else... on?" she asked, feeling indignant at his statement.

Sirius simply smirked, shrugging, "Why?"

"Well, this is hardly the best impression..." she stammered, gesturing to his overly casual wear. Heck, she wouldn't even want to wear something like that to a casual event.

"Hermione, this is exactly the impression I wish to give." He assured.

"Fine." she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sirius simply chuckled, jerking his head in the direction of the elevators, "C'mon, let's see this Alfrred Baliss character."

She simply nodded silently, following him as he cleared a path through the mass of people. Sirius squeezed into the elevator, then when he saw her hesitate, grabbed her hand, pulling her inside right before the doors closed. It was a tight fit, and the young woman was pressed close to him, hands splayed across his chest as she was squished between him and another man awkwardly. When the door opened up to the second floor—which seemed to be the floor that everyone had to be at—Hermione jumped away from him, smoothing down her blouse and skirt. She heard Sirius choke on a laugh and scowled, blowing a wayward strand of frizzy hair out of her face in irritation.

Following the crowd, they got in line at a desk, apparently to be directed to whatever office they were supposed to go into. Standing side by side, Sirius and Hermione ignored one another as they waited as patiently as possible to arrive at the front. Hermione watched as people walked into offices, walked in and out of offices. The couples walking out all wore rings she noticed, and on that very special finger. Great.

"Names?"

Hermione jumped slightly, only then realizing they were at the front of the line.

"Sirius Black and Hermione Granger." Sirius spoke for her, his earlier playful appearance having morphed into an expression of irritation and impatience.

The receptionist looked up at the two and raised her eyebrows, seeming surprised at the coupling. Then, with a shrug, she looked down at her papers, "Mr. Baliss is ready for you. Down through there, third door on the right." She pointed down a long hallway with about a dozen doors on each side of the hallway. Next to it was an identical hallway, also having couples filing in and out of rooms. Apparently the ministry had wasted no money on hiring enough councilors for the Repopulation Act. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if they were able to go through the entire Wizarding population in one day.

Hermione gave a small smile of thanks, fighting back a frown of disapproval when Sirius only gave a sharp nod and walked off without any other sort of acknowledgement. She hurried to catch up, though he was taking long, purposeful strides. The fact that he was over half a foot taller, with much longer legs made her have to nearly jog just to match his pace. _Prick_, she thought irritably, stumbling slightly when he abruptly stopped at the open office door.

Peaking around, she looked into the office. It wasn't very large, but it was bigger than her closet sized office. There was an expensive looking mahogany desk placed right in front of one of the windows—charmed to show London as it would appear had they been in a second story, above ground building. Situated in front of the desk were two chairs, and lining the walls were bookshelves, filled with informational tombs, family pictures, and stone sculptures that seemed more like paperweights—the majority unprofessional and more than likely made by children. Sitting behind the desk was a wizard, appearing to be in his late sixties to early seventies, with a bald spot on the top of his head, and what hair he did have a silver gray color.

He looked up from a folder laid out on his desk, bringing his friendly brown eyes up to the couple. A smile pulled at his face, the kind old men who've had long, happy lives often give people.

"You must be Mister Black and Miss Granger." He greeted, waving a hand in a gesture to enter, "Come in, sit down, please."

Hesitantly, the two entered, and Hermione paused when the man added, "Why don't you shut the door, dear?" Nodding, she pushed it shut, taking comfort in the familiar click that doors make when shutting. With all the unfamiliarity around her, that one thing was far more reassuring than it should have been. Sitting in the remaining seat beside Sirius, she looked at the hospitable man. Despite his overall cheerful disposition, Hermione still felt like she was a student visiting the principle's office.

"Well, I'm Alfrred Baliss, and I'll be working with you for your first year of marriage and parenthood." He introduced, "Now, before I begin explaining this whole process to you, do you have any questions?"

"I am one." Sirius spoke, still looking a irritated, "How would we go about changing spouses in this whole thing?"

Baliss looked honestly surprised, "I'm sorry, Mister Black, is there some sort of problem?"

"Yes there ruddy hell is a problem. I'm twice Hermione's age! There has to be someone... younger for her." he barked, raising his voice to express his anger with the situation.

The old man looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, the only way to get a new partner is if one were to refuse to marry, thus being kicked out of the Wizarding world. These matches are based on those most compatible—"

"I'm not going to marry a child!" Sirius cut him off.

Hermione whipped around, eye blazing, "Excuse me?! Child! I'm not a child, Sirius Black, if anyone in this room is a child it's you!"

Sirius turned to her, face darkening, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You have zero sense of responsibly! You have no job, go out partying every weekend like a teenager, and shag any slag that is willing to spread her legs!" she fumed, "You're reckless to the point of endangering both yourself and those around you, and I am horrified to see what sort of influence you would have on any young mind."

"Is that so? Well let me tell you—" he growled, being cut off by their councilor.

"Both of you, arguing will get you nowhere!" he snapped, his pleasant face turning to that of disapproval. "Now, I will tell you this only once: the only way you will be able to get out of this marriage is by giving up your magic. Seeing as you both showed up here today, I am going to assume you wish to keep your magic. Am I correct?" both Sirius and Hermione, glaring away from each other, nodded in the affirmative. "Well then, that means you are simply going to have to learn to deal with one another."

Hermione sighed, crossing her arms across her chest with a frown. Learn how to deal with him? She wasn't even married to him yet, and already she was ready for a divorce. And Hermione Granger wasn't a supporter of divorce.

"Now then, anything else to say before we get down to business?" the couple stayed silent, still glaring away from each other. "No? Well then, let us begin." Glancing down at the papers he held, he paused for a moment before speaking again. "I will first start with your expectations as a married couple. First off, you are expected to live in the same house. You should not have your own separate apartment for yourself; you are part of a family now and therefore must communicate and live with each other as any couple entering into a willing marriage would." He hesitated, and then added, "And like all married couples, you are expected to share a bed."

Both heads whipped around to look at him incredulously.

"Excuse me?" Hermione sputtered, face flaming up.

"No way in hell." Sirius snarled.

Alfrred held up his hands, "Please, just wait a moment. It is simply sharing a bed, we do not expect any sorts of intimacy. Even for couples who chose to marry often are too tired or can't find the time to show intimacy, we can't force you to do those acts when normal couples cannot."

Hermione was bushing to the roots of her hair, avoiding the gazes of both men as she twiddled her thumbs together awkwardly. Sirius simply looked like he wished to break something in his aggravation for the whole situation.

"Now, your records state that you both have a good sum of money, Mister Black having his family fortune, and Miss Granger with her salary and savings." Baliss stated, pulling up a paper to look at a sheet under it. "Due to the short notice, the Ministry took it upon themselves to scope out houses for new couples. They can chose whichever one they like best, and depending on the way they pay would be determined by their financial situation. In your case, I see no reason you should have any problem purchasing the house on your own, correct?" both nodded quietly, neither looking particularly thrilled with the idea of moving, or having a ministry picked house. Mr. Baliss slid a stack of papers across the table.

"These are the houses you can choose from, with detailed descriptions of the condition, room sizes, number of rooms, yard space, and so on. I'll give you a moment to decide."

Hermione reached out to the papers, handing half the stack to Sirius so he could sort through them as well. There were lots of options, from cheap houses to huge manors. Frowning as she looked through the piles, she shook her head, not seeing one that she liked. They were all too small, too big, or simply too expensive. Sighing, she looked up at Sirius, who was leafing through the pages indifferently. And then his eyes brightened for a millisecond, and he passed her a picture wordlessly.

It was perfect.

If Hermione had ever dreamed of a house, this was it. A cute two story house was situated on a green lawn, with cobblestone steps leading to the front covered porch. Another path led around the house to a fenced in back yard, lined with flowerbeds and bushes. The windows had red shutters and lining, the paneling white, and a red bricked chimney poked up from the roof. On the porch there was a hanging bench by the red colored door. It was quaint and simple, and the last thing Hermione would have expected Sirius to like. But whatever the case, she liked it very much.

Reaching over the look at the house information, she learned that it was a four bedroom house, along with a study, kitchen and dinning room, and family room. There was also a basement, which had a washing and drying machine installed. There were also three bathrooms, two upstairs and one down. The back yard was very spacious, with plenty of room for children to run and play. Located in the countryside of England, it happened to be in what appeared to be a wizard neighborhood. Hermione noted that this would be an advantage when you have young children still learning to control their magic powers. Less to hide or worry about, since all the neighbors would already understand.

Looking up at Sirius, a small smile formed, showing her approval. He gave a slight nod and took the papers back from her, stretching them out for Baliss.

"This one will do." He stated, and the elderly man took it, smiling at the choice as he made a note at the top, placing it into the file that Hermione assumed must belong to their information.

"Excellent choice, a very nice family home." He agreed, "I'll contact Gringotts and they can just transfer the money over, is that a problem?"

Sirius grunted, and Alfrred simply took that as an agreement.

"Great. Now, on to the children." Both Hermione and Sirius stiffened, and the man laughed, "Not to worry, you won't be getting them until tomorrow. You have tonight to get your home settled and ready." This didn't sooth either, and so he cleared his throat, continuing.

"Well, the process is very complex in theory, but really quite simple practice. Now, all I will need are two hairs, and with those hairs I will have both your genetic makeup. After that, I simply add the hairs to a potion, which they dissolve into. Then I simply have to caste a spell onto the potion, and as both potion and spell blend your children will form."

Hermione's brow furrowed as she listened, nodding slowly. It sounded very complex, and she could only guess how long they'd been working on this in secret before and act was even drawn up. Years, probably longer. Creating real human beings from magic and potion... it was no easy, simple feat.

"Now, the number of children you have is determined by your own personalities and ideas of children. If you want more children, you are more likely to have more. If you are forgetful and careless, it is also likely you will have more children, as it would be in real life." Hermione did not like her odds at this. Sirius was practically the definition of careless. And she knew that she'd always imagined a lot of children—of course, when she'd imagined this she'd also thought they would be ginger haired and freckled.

"Their ages can range anywhere between eight years to the developmental stage—" he went to continue, only to be cut off, by Hermione this time.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'the developmental stage'?" she asked, eyes bugging out.

He smiled a sympathetic smile, "Well, there is a chance that you may be pregnant." Hermione felt slightly sick at his words. "Of course, we've taken special care to be sure that, should that be the case, the shift to pregnancy and whatever stage you may be in would be completely painless." He assured. His words were not reassuring.

"So basically what you're telling us is, we might not only be caring for children, but also all the pregnant crap?" Sirius asked bluntly, looking less impressed with the entire conversation the longer it lasted.

"Yes, that is a possibility. It is also a possibility that you will have only a pregnancy, and no other children, or children, but no pregnancy at all. I wont know the result of this until you do, I'm afraid."

"Brilliant." Sirius muttered sarcastically, slumping in his chair.

Hermione shot him a look that clearly told him to sit up. He ignored her. Sighing, she gave a nauseated smile, "Please continue, Mister Baliss."

"Right," he cleared his voice, "well, the children will be given artificial memories, which will be determined from likely scenarios picked out through your DNA. Therefore, it is very likely they will already know things of your pasts that you would possibly have told them, or they could know relatives they haven't actually been introduced to." He paused to think, then smiled, "I believe that pretty much covers everything. Of course, I will be checking in with you regularly, about once every week for the first few months, then less often as you begin adapting to your new lives, so should you have any additional questions that I failed to mention, don't hesitate to ask."

Guessing this was their chance to leave, Sirius jumped to his feet, an expression of impatience on his face once again, "Great, we'll keep that in mind."

Hermione sighed for the thousandth time that day, moving to her feet at a slower pace as Alfrred Baliss did the same, holding out a sheet of paper and a pair of keys.

"This is all the information you might need for your new home. You have until tomorrow to get settled in, and I'll drop by at nine in the morning to give you your children." He smiled, and Sirius grabbed Hermione's arm and the materials held out to him, turning her and beginning to push her towards the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Baliss exclaimed, causing Sirius to freeze. Hermione looked at his irritated expression, and then moved with him as he stiffly turned around. In Baliss' hand was a pair of wedding rings.

"You will need to put these on. The moment they are on you will be legally married, and so will have to act as a married couple from now on." He smiled, again the expression that of an apology.

Haughtily, Sirius grabbed the larger of the two rings, thrusting it onto his wedding finger. Hermione took the smaller of the two and slipped it on, feeling a tingle of magic as it shot through her.

She was now Hermione Jean Black.


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Hell

**AN:**** you should all be very proud of me, I've been updating really quickly. Of course, I've been ignoring homework... but that's alright, I don't mind that much. I'll probably complain if I have to retake a class... but writing the story is fun! lol, anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and please review! Hearing back from my readers always helps encourage me to continue writing! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: you know the drill, don't own Harry Potter or any of it's original plot, characters, settings, etc. I just own the plot and the characters I've created.**

**Chapter 3:**_**Welcome to Hell, It's Called Parenthood**_

After leaving the Ministry the day was a blur for Hermione. She pretty much ignored Sirius to the best of her ability as they packed up their belongings and moved them into their new house. Hermione hadn't owned most of the things in her apartment, the majority of the furniture belonging to the owner, and Sirius didn't want to bring all the old, dusty stuff from Number Twelve, so they set out shopping, for the majority ignoring one another nicely. Somehow or another they chose the house's furniture, matching quite nicely, without saying so much as a word. By that evening Hermione was exhausted and more than ready to sleep. But it had been worth it, because they'd completed in repainting the rooms, unpacking what they'd brought and bought, and placing them in appropriate places.

Without words, it was decided the study on the ground floor would be Hermione's to do with as she would—which would be an office for work. In contrast, the basement space was Sirius', having freedom to do whatever he wanted, so long as the washer and dryer stayed intact and there was walking space for Hermione to get to them whenever needed. They both knew they'd have yet another day of shopping the next morning to get all the furniture for the children. Neither was looking forward to it, and all the expenses were making both their heads spin. The two wondered how everyone else was doing it all, and suspected that that Ministry was chipping in a great deal.

That evening, Hermione went to visit her parents for dinner. Sirius decided he'd rather not be around for that particular conversation, and so went to Merlin knew where, while Hermione explained that she had married and would become a mother very soon, all because of a new law passed by the Minister. All things considered, her parent's took the news pretty well. Her father only yelled for a little over an hour, and her mother's tears dried up quickly enough when she learned she would be a grandmother. Still, she had a troubled expression. Her twenty year old daughter, married to a man twice her age, with partially grown children. Her parents understood she was mature for her age, but they weren't sure she was prepared for the challenge it would present.

It was about ten at night when Hermione finally returned to her new home. The lights were all out, giving the impression that Sirius had either gone to bed already, or had never made it home. She was pretty sure it was the latter.

With a tired sigh, she slipped the key into the keyhole, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Stepping into the dark house and flipping on the light to the hallway, she then shut the door and locked it behind her. Moving to the coat rack, she hung up her light jacket, pausing when she heard something from upstairs. Frowning, she strained to hear, feeling the adrenalin as it began to pump into her system.

"Sirius?" she called, slipping her wand from her coat pocket.

Another thump was heard, followed by silence. She felt her heart beating in her ears, and carefully made her way towards the stairs, taking them slowly, one at a time. As she reached the top, she stooped lower, taking in the empty floor landing. It was then she heard what sounded almost like scratching. Eyes zeroing in on the door the sound came from behind, she crept towards it, wand held out and at the ready, should it be thrown open.

Stopping in front of the doorway, the only sound was that of her own breathing. Hand shaking, she reached for the door, fingers closing around the doorknob. Then, with one deep breath, she jerked the door open, hold her wand out to the intruder. Of course, the intruder she saw was the last thing she would have expected.

The dog looked up at her with large, sad looking eyes, poking his oversized nose up in the air and wagging his tail at seeing her. Letting out a woofing howl, he trotted forward, his floppy ears bouncing as he practically pranced towards her.

"Hello, who in the world are you?" she asked the bloodhound, lowering her wand and dropping down onto her knees so her face was level with his. He simply licked her face, making her gag and pushing him away. "No licking."

Not seeming to mind this new rule, he sniffed at her instead, sticking his wet nose all over her, tail still wagging happily. Rubbing her head, she looked around the room, wondering how long he'd been locked in there. She'd looked into that room earlier in the day, she couldn't have missed him. Maybe he'd slipped in when she and Sirius were moving furniture inside. They had left the door open.

Standing, she patted her leg, beckoning him to follow, "Come on boy, you're probably hungry..." she said, going back down the stairs, flipping lights on as she passed them. The animal didn't complain, following quite obediently down the stairs and into the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, she pulled out a plastic plate, then looked into the fridge to find something to feed the animal. Finding some lunch meat, she pulled it out, placing a number of slices on the plate, which she then set on the floor. He wasted no time in tucking in, and while he did that Hermione filled a bowl with water, which she also set on the floor.

Leaning against the counter, she watched as he ate and drank quickly, making a mess of the clean hardwood flooring. He was a cute animal, even if she wasn't particularly fond of dogs. She'd always been more of a cat person, to be honest. Not to say she didn't like dogs, because she did. But she'd always had a greater fondness for felines, in comparison to canines.

The door banging open made both animal and human jump, and he let out a howl, racing towards the source of the noise, slipping and sliding on the slick floorings. Hermione followed quickly, seeing Sirius looking at the animal in surprise as it barked at him.

"Hermione..?" he questioned carefully.

Making kissing sounds and clapping her hands together, she watched as the bloodhound turned his attention to her. Sending one last snort to Sirius, he moved back to her, sitting at her side and leaning his body against her leg, watching Sirius as he contently let Hermione rub his ear.

"I just found him in one of the upstairs rooms." Hermione explained, smiling sheepishly. "I came home and heard him moving around. He must have slipped in while we were decorating, and just been locked in."

Sirius nodded, "Alright, so what is he still doing here?"

"Well... he doesn't have a collar, and he seemed hungry..."

"So..?"

Hermione huffed, "I couldn't just turn him out on the streets! I'll call the animal shelter tomorrow."

Sirius frowned, "Fine, but he isn't staying."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "What, are you territorial?" she asked, referring to his animagus form. This pulled a growl from the man.

"We're already going to have to deal with kids; we don't need a dog to worry about, too."

She frowned, crossing her arms and glaring at him, "I said I would call the animal shelter, why are you being such a git about it?"

"I'm just trying to make you understand..!"

"I understand perfectly, I don't need your explanations!"

"Fine I won't give them!"

"Good!"

With an angry huff Hermione turned around, marching up the stairs, while Sirius went into the kitchen. She heard what sounded like something breaking, and then a stream of curses. She could only guess he'd tripped over the bowl on the ground, broke it, and spilled water everywhere. Served him right, the bloody git.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she noticed that the dog had followed, and so she let him, going into the master bedroom and slamming the door, readying for bed. Once ready, she hesitantly opened the door, remembering that they were supposed to be sharing a bed. She wasn't sure if Sirius would actually end up coming to bed or not, but she wouldn't lock him out, in any case. Then, climbing into the large bed, she snuggled down on her side, giving a start when she felt the dog jump up and settle down at her feet, halfway laying on her legs. She was still angry with Sirius, so made no move to shoo the dog away. Sirius would just have to deal with it.

Cuddling down into the bed, she fell asleep, thinking of how her life as Mrs. Black would end up. So far, it was looking grim.

**0o.o0o.o0o.o0**

Waking up was something Hermione didn't want to do. If she could, she'd just sleep and pretend the day would never begin. But alas, she had herself trained far too well, and it was nearly impossible for her to ever sleep past seven thirty. So, with a sigh, she opened her eyes, glancing at the alarm clock on her bedside table, reading it was only just after seven. Two hours to get ready for the children to arrive. Yawning, she turned over, looking at the spot where Sirius slept, the blankets pooling around his waist, arms stretched over his head as he lay on his back, exposing his bare chest. Blushing, she slipped from the bed, rubbing the large dog's head that had slept at the end of the bed. He stirred and let out a small grumbling sound at being disturbed, but noticing Hermione was leaving, he regrettably pushed himself up and padded after her.

Walking barefoot on the cool floor, Hermione lead the way down the stairs. Finding herself in the kitchen once again, she was satisfied to see that whatever mess Sirius had made the previous night was cleaned up. Smiling at the dog, she opened the door to the back yard.

"Out you go, before you make a mess somewhere." She instructed, watching as he trotted out the door, shutting it behind him.

Despite the early morning, it was already warming up, and so Hermione open the windows in the kitchen, then set to cooking breakfast. After all, the kids would be hungry, and she figured it might warm Sirius up to her. She was still irritated with him, but she didn't want to be fighting. Even if he was a jerk, she would need an ally in this whole parenting thing.

Within an hour Hermione dressed for the day, along with finishing cooking bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, and coffee, even going to far as to cook home made biscuits. She was just finishing the last of the eggs when Sirius entered the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning!" she chirped, turning around holding the spatula with a warm smile.

Sirius stared at her cautiously, carefully walking into the room with a look of bewilderment, "'Morning..."

"Best eat and get dressed, Mr. Baliss will be here within half an hour." She instructed, turning off the stove and placing all the food on a plate, which she set on the table for him with a smile.

The next half hour went by far too quickly for Hermione's taste. Sirius ate and went up the stairs to shower and dress, Hermione letting the dog back inside and giving him a breakfast of leftover sausage and bacon. She was just finishing washing the dirty dishes when Sirius came back into the kitchen, pausing upon seeing the dog laying at her feet.

"I thought you were going to call animal control?" he asked, glaring at the animal. He was returned in an equally contemptuous look.

She sighed softly, not wanting to get into another fight after the effort she'd put in to avoid it. "It's still the morning, animal control has only just opened."

"Hmm." Was all Sirius said in response. Whether that was because he was leaving it be or because the doorbell rang, Hermione didn't know. Whatever the case, he said no more as he turned to go and answer the door, Hermione and the dog following close behind.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Black." Greeted Alfrred Baliss, and Hermione felt her stomach clench. It was the first time anyone had addressed her as Mrs. Black, and she wasn't entirely sure what to think of it.

"Baliss." Sirius greeted, opening the door for him to enter, eying the bag the old man carried. It did, after all, hold their future.

He walked in, looking around the house with a satisfied smile, "You're home is lovely, you made it into a home quickly."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you." she let them to the living room, rubbing the dog's head absently as he walked beside her, heeling on instinct. "Sit down, please. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea?"

He shook his head, "No, thank you, I actually don't have very much time today, lots of stops to make." He explained.

"Well then, why not get right to it then?" Sirius asked, the note of displeasure evident to Hermione. She fought against sending him a look of reproach, since they never did anything anyways.

"Of course." Baliss said, setting down his bag and pulling out a vial of potion. Wordlessly Hermione and Sirius plucked hairs from their heads and passed them over.

Uncapping the vial, the man dropped the two hairs into the vial, and Hermione watched in fascination as they seemed to dissolve on contact, blending into the pale blue liquid. As it blended the liquid began to glow, and the Baliss seemed satisfied. Then, pulling out his wand, he smiled at the two.

"Well, here we go..."

Hermione felt like she was about to pass out.

Sirius looked like he was in physical pain.

The dog just looked at them all curiously.

Looking intently at the potion, and seeming to concentrate a great deal, the councilor gave a large flourish of his wand and tapped the potion, wordlessly casting the spell. The couple watched as the pink spell blended with the blue, glowing potion. The colored blended together, making a purple, floating liquid that slipped from the vial, expanding in the air. Settling on the floor, the mass split into four separate blogs, each blob a varying size. The liquid then began to become solid, and Hermione watched as four children formed before her, her eyes wide in astonishment.

All four children were fully clothed, much to her surprise, and looked... well, like any other child. The largest of them was a little boy, probably six or so in age, and looked just like a child Sirius. Same black hair, fathomless gray eyes, and adorable, aristocratic features, which would one day turn sharp and handsome. The only difference between the two was that his skin was a slightly darker shade, resembling the light olive of his mother rather than the light coloring of his father. The next youngest was also a little boy, probably about four years old. He seemed to be a mix between both parents, having a slim, almost petite build matching his mother's, while seeming tall for his age, giving the impression that he would be tall like his father. He lacked the aristocratic features of his father and brother, having his mother's instead, along with her same colorings, olive skin and brown eyes. She was also sad to notice that he had her hair, a mass of curly, frizzy brown. After that little boy came a girl, possibly two years old. She was an adorable little girl, with fair colored skin, petite build, and curly black hair. Her eyes were also just as gray and deep at her father, and her features were that of an aristocratic pureblood, despite her half-blood status. Finally came a baby, who was just this little thing, looking very young in age. A newborn, more than likely, a few months at the very most. It was hard to tell for sure with babies so young, but Hermione was fairly certain it was a little boy. With lighter skin, very little hair—though what she saw being a wavy brown—and gray colored eyes, that was pretty much the extend of what she could see of him.

Baliss smiled, pulling out four certificates and muttering something, zapping them with his wand. Words appeared, and he handed it to Sirius.

"Your children's birth certificates." He said, and Sirius took them, seeming to be in a daze from the event.

The oldest little boy blinked around, looking at his dazed parents with a curious expression, then walking forward and touching Hermione's leg, gazing up.

"Mummy, what's wrong with you and Daddy?" then he turned and pointed at the baby on the ground, "And why is Ian on the floor?"

The baby in question was being sniffed curiously by the dog, shaking his hands in the air and making gurgling sounds.

"Oh." She said, moving forward and picking the baby up, being careful to support his head. She was suddenly grateful for all those summers of babysitting; it would defiantly come in handy. Cradling him into her arm, she moved to Sirius, leaning over to look at the names they'd chosen for their kids.

Eli Sirius, Noah Hesperos, Rose Altaira, and Ian Rigel. They certainly were... unique. She liked the first names, but what with all the star names? She had hoped to make her kids have normal names... apparently Sirius had other ideas for names.

"Well, you have lovely children." Baliss said. Hermione jumped slightly. She'd forgotten he was still there. "I'll just show myself out."

Now, the polite thing to do would be to thank the man, but she wasn't sure that was quite right to say in this sort of a situation. So instead, she just watched as he walked from the house, carrying his bag full of magic potions that turned liquid into children.

"Mummy, I'm hungry." Said little Noah, looking up with big brown eyes.

She nodded, forcing a smile at the children, "Alright... Noah. I'll make you a plate of breakfast." He grinned, shooting off at a run towards the kitchen. "No running!" she called after him, letting out a small sigh as she glanced at the still dazed Sirius. She heard a crash in the kitchen, and then crying sobs. As if cued, the baby in her arms began crying, and the little Rose was just looking up and staring at everyone as Eli continued to question his parents.

Fate really didn't want to catch her a break.


	4. Chapter 4: And so it Begins

**AN:**** chapter 4, and here you get to learn a little more about the new kids in this story. I personally adore them, but I'll let you decide what to think. I'm gonna give you a list of all the kids and parents, just so you have something of a reference in case you get a little confused. I'll also add the non-Weasley kids, just in case you're all curious. All of this info will be at the bottom of the page as an end note. (there will be a few surprises in couplings and kids, so if you want to wait I'd suggest just skipping over that, I'll eventually explain all that stuff in later chapters anyways)**

**Disclaimer: just the plot and new characters, nothing else. Sad, but true...**

**Chapter 4:**_**And so it Begins...**_

It took an hour to feed the kids and ready them for an outing—which Hermione was horribly dreading. At the last minute, she told Sirius that she would much prefer to just go to the Burrows before shopping for child furniture. She had questions she had for Mrs. Weasley, and she didn't want to bring four young children shopping. Sirius just wanted to get the furniture and put the rooms together. So, after a good half hour of arguing, they finally decided that he would take the two boys shopping, and Hermione would take the youngest to the Weasleys. Then, she could bring the younger two shopping herself. The family parted—though not before Hermione was hugged tightly around the waist and kissed goodbye. And the dog was left in the backyard, Sirius having forgotten all about him.

Hermione arrived at the Burrows and, for a moment, felt as though she'd gone back in time to when the Weasley children were all young. This thought was dashed away when she saw the Weasley children chasing after the young kids, reminding Hermione that everyone now had kids, not just she and Sirius. Shifting Ian, and holding tightly to Rose's little hand, she approached, smiling tiredly at the redheads she passed.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione called as she entered the home, and the woman bustled out of the kitchen. Her face lit up at seeing the mother and children.

"Oh, aren't they darling." She gushed, walking forward and smiling at them all. "Where's Sirius?"

"Shopping with Eli and Noah." The new mother answered tiredly, "I had a few questions I was hoping to ask, so I came with these two."

"Oh of course you do, dear. Come into the kitchen, I've been explaining some things to poor Ginny and Lavender, too." She held out her hand to Rose, who instantly shrank behind Hermione's leg, looking at the woman shyly. Absently, Hermione remembered the little girl should have had false memories. She wondered if in those memories she'd never been introduced to Mrs. Weasley—which she highly doubted—or if the child was simply timid by nature. Stroking her curly black locks in a maternal affection, she followed Mrs. Weasley back into the kitchen. What she saw made her gasp.

Ginny Weasley was leaning against a counter, her stomach jutting out a short ways, rounded in a pregnant hump. Next to her was Lavender with her own baby bump, though smaller. In the kitchen were also five children, all little boys. Two looked like little Harry's, while the other three had flaming red hair, and were more than likely Ron's. Ginny looked up at Hermione and moaned, her head falling back in her anguish.

"Hermione, please tell me you aren't pregnant." She pleaded, "I need someone to complain to, if you're pregnant it wont be nearly as effective."

The frizzy haired brunette shook her head, "No, not that I know of. Ian is a month old, so I had better not be."

Ginny smiled, "Good, that's a relief." She nodded towards the two kids who she'd brought with her, "So just those two?"

She laughed bitterly, "No, I have two more, both boys. They're with Sirius, shopping for furniture and toys for their bedroom."

Ginny nodded, "Harry went shopping. He's really excited about decorating their rooms."

Hermione nodded. She was a bit envious that Harry was so happy, while Sirius was just being a pain. Forcing a smile, she turned to look at Lavender, "What about Ron, is he around?"

She shook her head, "No, shopping with Harry. Hopefully Harry will help him pick out some decent things."

As the conversation progressed, Mrs. Weasley giving the girls advice on pregnancy, and all the essentials of a newborn baby, the children were busy playing together, chasing each other around, and causing trouble. More than once Ginny and Lavender yelled out at the boys to settle down, or not to touch whatever they were about to touch. Rose, however, was being so quiet Hermione was beginning to think she would actually not have to worry about her too much. Of course, that wouldn't be the case.

"Rose, what do you have there?" the little girl turned around, holding something in her hand. That something turned out to be a stake knife, her little fingers clutching a little too close to the blade for comfort, and the point dangerously close to her arm. "Rose Altaira Black you put that down this minute!" she practically screamed, passing Ian off to Lavender without a second thought and rushing across the room, prying it out of her hand. Ian began crying at being passed off so abruptly, and Hermione placed the knife on the counter, pushing it far back to little fingers couldn't grab it again.

"You never touch knives, Rose, do you understand?" Hermione said, getting down on her level and looking into the child's eyes with a stern expression. "They're dangerous and you could hurt yourself."

The child nodded, not looking particularly fazed, and then hugged the woman around her neck. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around the child, pulling her up so she was holding her. She suddenly knew, just _knew_, that this silent, innocent looking girl would probably be her biggest trouble out of all four kids.

Turning around, she looked at Lavender, who was holding the crying baby looking completely helpless. "Oh, I'm sorry Lavender." She apologized, though she knew that she wasn't any better at comforting the baby than the blond was.

"It's fine," she assured, though she didn't look fine—she looked lost and frantic, and a wave of relief washed across her face when Mrs. Weasley took the screaming infant.

"He's hungry." Mrs. Weasley said, though how she knew was beyond Hermione.

"I don't have any formula." Hermione said, still holding her daughter, who was hugging her around the neck.

Mrs. Weasley laughed, bouncing the infant, "You need to breastfeed him, dear."

Internal alarms began sounding in her head and eyes widened. Breastfeed? Nobody had said anything about breastfeeding. "But... I don't..."

The older woman just smiled, "Leave Rose here with Ginny and Lavender, I'll show you how." Frowning, she set the toddler down so she sat on the kitchen table.

"I'm going to go with Mrs. Weasley, I'll be right back." The dark haired child looked up with a small frown. "You be good for Ginny and Lavender, okay?" she nodded reluctantly, and Hermione stroked her curls, "That's a girl."

Following Mrs. Weasley, they settled into an empty bedroom. There Hermione learned her breast had inflated multiple cup sizes, along with how to nurse the infant. She would defiantly need to invest in some nursing bras, and a few larger shirts. Her current one was far too tight for her liking.

Returning downstairs with a dozing baby, Hermione informed everyone that she needed to go shopping for baby and toddler things. Ginny volunteered to come along, and so the women and children headed off, ready to buy things for the children and themselves. Ginny was in dire need of some maternity clothes, and Hermione needed her new upper wear outfits. They shopped for hours, Hermione buying all of the strollers and high chairs, as well as bottles, Sippy cups, bibs, and everything a baby needed—along with things she hadn't realized they needed. It was nearing dinner time before they made it home, parting ways with shrunken bags and sleepy kids.

Entering the house, Hermione walked in, setting down the bags and going into the living room. The muggle TV had been turned on and both of her sons sat on the couch, the dog laying between them as they watched some children show involving a blue dog and a guy in a green stripped sweater. Rose sleepily walked over and settled into Eli's side, his arm slipping around her.

"Where's Siri—err, your father?" Hermione asked leaning against the door frame, leaving Ian in his stroller for the moment. He was out like a light, and she really didn't want to wake him up by carrying him around.

"Upstairs. He'd putting beds and stuff together." Eli said, smiling over at his mother.

She nodded, smiling back, and turned, going upstairs. One of the empty bedroom doors was open, though it was no longer empty. Instead, the room was looking finished; with the beds put together, all the dressers and tables together, along with the larger toys. At the moment Sirius was busy throwing toys into toy boxes. Each toy box had a name on it, Eli written in blue on one, while Noah was written in green on the other. Sirius looked up at hearing her approach, and gave a tired smile.

"Busy day?" he asked, leaning a child's broom in a little corner.

She nodded, "Mrs. Weasley helped a lot. And then Ginny and I went shopping. I didn't realize how many things kids needed until I was actually out shopping."

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah." Letting his hands drop to his sides, he looked at her tired face, "Rough day then?"

She nodded, "Ian would cry nearly every hour, and Rose is so much trouble..."

He looked surprised at this, "Rose? But she seems so quite and easy."

Hermione just laughed at this, "Oh no, looks can be very deceiving. She somehow managed to get a hold of a knife at the Weasleys, and she was disappearing everywhere with Ginny's two boys."

"Well, my mistake then." Sirius laughed. "So, where are the things for the younger two?"

"Downstairs." She answered, and together they ventured down and grabbed the bags, Hermione also carefully taking Ian and bringing him upstairs.

Going into the master bedroom, Sirius assembled the crib with a flick of his wand, and Hermione laid him down to sleep in there until his room was complete. Them, splitting up, they tackled each remaining bedroom, putting together all the things needed. Halfway through finishing putting together Rose's room, Hermione popped into Ian's new room to tell Sirius she would be putting together a quick dinner for the kids. By the time she had them fed and returned up the stairs, Sirius had finished both rooms and moved Ian into his nursery.

They heard the sound of little feet on the stairs before the kids poked their heads into their bedrooms. Turning, Hermione smiled at their sleepy faces. It had been a long, exciting day for them, too. Rose walked forward, holding her arms up droopily for Sirius. He seemed startled at this, but complied, hoisting her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his chest and practically falling asleep in his arms right there. And as he stood there holding the little girl, Hermione saw his face melt, if only for a moment. The most content expression fell over his face, before he composed himself.

"I think its time to get to bed." Hermione said, taking the boys' hands and leading them to their room, where she helped them ready for bed while Sirius watched helplessly, clearly unsure what to do with the little girl he held. Helping the boys pull on their jammies and sending them off to brush their teeth, Hermione helped Sirius, leading him into the toddler's room and pulling out the little purple nightgown. Sirius set the girl down and Hermione made quick work of helping the half-asleep child out of her clothes and into the slip of a gown, and then tucked her into bed. Sirius watched all of this with mild fascination, then left to tuck the boys in. Hermione was just thinking they may be able to get to sleep without any trouble when... Ian started crying.

Frowning, she left Rose's room, pulling the door to, but leaving a crack open so light could leak inside. Walking to the room at the very end of the hall, Hermione entered, crossing to the crib to see the screaming baby. Gently she leaned down, picking him up and bouncing him as she patted his back soothingly. This did nothing to calm his tears, he just kept on crying. Settling into the rocking chair she pulled her shirt down and undid one of the straps on her nursing bra. But he wouldn't eat, refusing the offering of milk and just kept on screaming. Frowning, she redid the bra, checking his diaper. It was clean. She tried helplessly to calm him, but nothing was working.

What felt like hours later, but really was around half an hour, Sirius popped his head in, casting a silencing charm around the room and shutting the door behind him.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, approaching and lightly touching his little head, seeming worried.

Hermione shook her head, "I have no idea. He won't eat, doesn't need a diaper change, and he isn't sick or need to be burped. He just won't stop crying!"

By now the baby's face was scrunched up and red from his screaming, his little hands curled into fists which he was waving around.

Sirius frowned, "Let me try." He said, and Hermione passed the baby over. As Sirius attempted to calm the child, he seemed to only start screaming louder. Both parents winced, and Hermione took him back, soothing him as she paced the floor. His cries lowered in volume, but did not stop. Sighing, she sent Sirius a smile.

"You go to bed; I'll take care of Ian."

"Are you sure?" he asked, hesitating. She could see he wanted to be out of there, though, and she nodded.

"Yeah, you don't seem to be much help for him, anyways."

He winced, "Sorry, I don't really know babies..."

She just shrugged, still pacing as she held the crying child, "Check in on Rose and the boys before you go to bed?"

"Sure thing." And then he was gone, shutting the door behind him, leaving his new wife to try and calm their youngest son.

It took two hours before Ian was finally all cried out, and even then he wouldn't seem to go to sleep. Throughout the night he would wake up, not managing to stay asleep for very long. In the end, neither Hermione nor little Ian managed to catch many zees, and even Sirius was tired from taking a few shifts, and startling awake at the baby's cries in the baby monitor. By the morning only Eli, Noah, and Rose were rested and excited for the day ahead.

It was that morning that Sirius finally noticed that the dog wasn't gone. At the mention of calling animal control himself, the children instantly started objecting. Even little Rose rejected the idea, bursting into tears and hugging it around the neck. Sirius looked anything but impressed, but seeing their brokenhearted faces, how could he say no? So, with an angry glance at Hermione, he agreed. The boys, after much arguing, finally decided he would be named Buster. And so it was that Buster, the bloodhound, became a part of the family.

In a half-asleep state, Hermione put together breakfast for the kids, settling on making oatmeal. But then she learned that Noah didn't like oatmeal, and so she had to make him toast instead. But he didn't like jam on his toast, he liked peanut butter, meaning making toast with jam had been a waste of time because he wouldn't eat it. Then the boys began bickering, Eli telling Noah off for being so picky, and that lead into a loud, obnoxious argument that Hermione had to put an end to, though right in the middle of it Rose dropped her bowl full of oatmeal over, making a mess on the floor and on her lap. All the chaos lead to Sirius yelling at everyone to be quite, which lead to both Noah and Rose to start crying and Hermione yelling at Sirius for being such a barbarian. This lead to an entirely new argument between the parents, which ended when Ian began screaming from upstairs, and Hermione left in a huff, allowing Sirius to finish feeding the three older children.

Shortly after feeding Ian and changing his diaper, an owl arrived from Hermione's boss. Settling her youngest down on a blanket on the floor, she unfolded the letter to read what he had to say.

_Dear Miss Granger (or more correctly Mrs. Black),_

_The Ministry informed me that you are now a mother of four—congratulations! It will be hard work raising those kids, but I know you will be able to handle it. However, I am worried about your performance at work. With a new baby, and adapting to being a mother at all, I think it would be for your best interest to take the next month off. I want no arguments on the matter, because I won't budge. Should I see you at work I will send you straight home, no questions asked. _

_I would also like that you begin working at home once you return to work. It would be easier to care for your children, and knowing you I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave them with strangers at a daycare while your husband and you both work. Of course, this is entirely your choice, though I thought I would throw the idea out there. You would, of course, need to come to the office for important meetings, but otherwise it would be entirely home-based._

_Enjoy your time off, and try not to overwork yourself. Should you need any pointers from a man who's already been through it all, just send me an owl. _

_Sincerely,_

_Your boss, Orson Levise_

She frowned at reading this, not liking the idea of missing work for so long. An entire month! What about her meeting on Friday? It could mean the success or failure of her S.P.E.W. campaign! And working at home? Why would she need to do that, Sirius would be home after all, he was unemployed... wasn't he? Truth be told, she'd never asked him. He didn't ever mention working, but Harry often mentioned he was out of town doing something or other. Honestly, she'd just assumed he was unemployed and simply partying and traveling. But then, maybe she'd been wrong...

Poking her head out in the yard, where Sirius was playing football with the boys, she waved him over, her face troubled. Lightly ruffling Noah's hair as he passed, he arrived in front of Hermione.

"What's up?"

She bit her lip, hesitating in her question. It was a little rude. After all, he was her best friend's godfather, shouldn't she know if he had a job or not? Sighing, she pushed her frizzy hair behind her ear.

"Do you have a job?"

He raised his eyebrows, a smirk forming, "Well, most men my age usually do, don't they?"

Here she blushed, feeling embarrassed for having assumed he was so immature that he wouldn't have one.

"What do you do?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "I work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Kingsley managed to get me a position, unfortunately due to my stay in Azkaban, I was given the least convenient post."

The young woman frowned, "What do you mean?"

Sirius sighed, "I have to travel, a lot. All those trips I make?" she nodded to show she knew of them, "Yeah, well they're for work. I usually am out on business for days on end, even weeks occasionally." He had an apologetic expression.

Hermione felt her stomach drop at this news. So, he had a job, but his job involved travel, and lots of it. Leaving her home, taking care of four children, by herself. Sirius saw her expression, and in an attempt to keep him from worrying she forced a smile.

"That's fine; I'll have Mum, and Mrs. Weasley. I'm sure they'd be happy to help with the kids while you're away." her smile dropped as she remembered something, "Oh, Merlin, Mum!"

The dark haired man looked alarmed, "What?"

She sighed, "Mum and Dad wanted me to call them yesterday, I completely forgot! They wanted to set up a day to have dinner."

He looked sick at this thought. "Dinner? With your parents?"

She waved him off, "They're fine, don't be such a wimp. Anyways, I have to call them. Go have your male bonding time."

Still looking a little sick, he nodded, turning around to play with his two eldest children. Glancing around the yard, Hermione paused. Eli and Noah were out there, and Ian was in the sitting room... where was Rose?

Going back into the house, she began poking around the rooms, calling for the toddler. As she continued her search and continued to find each room empty, her panic began to spike. Where was her daughter?! Going into the upper story of the house, she poked around each bedroom. Nothing. Terror was gripping at her now. Her daughter was nowhere to be found. Nowhere!

"Sirius!" she said, arriving at the door to the back yard again, "I can't find Rose!" she said, her face showing the panic that was coursing through her entire being. "She's not in the house, she won't answer me when I call, she's not here!"

Sirius looked like he'd just been punched. Instantly another search ensued, with the entire family—aside from Ian—looking for the missing toddler. Not an inch of the house was left unsearched. But they couldn't find her. Hermione was just giving up when...

"Hermione!"

Sirius's voice carried through the house, and Hermione fled towards her husband's voice, arriving in the master bathroom to find him pulling a drowsy toddler out of the cubby under the sink.

"Rose Altiara, never, ever, ever do that to me again." she practically sobbed, taking her daughter into her arms and hugging her tightly, smoothing down her hair and kissing the side of her head. She fought the tears, finding it insane that she would be so worked up. She hardly knew the little girl she was holding. But the thing was, she wasn't just any little girl. There was a connection, this child was _hers_. Perhaps it was the natural instinct of a mother to instantly have this unbreakable bond with each child. Whatever the case, when her daughter disappeared, she felt like a part of her had, too.

Looking up at Sirius, they shared a look that spoke more volumes than words ever could. They wouldn't allow one of their children to disappear like that again. They would never be able to deal with that sort of scare easily. And with their child's disappearance and return, a mutual understanding formed. They may have been complete opposites, and they fought constantly, but they did have one thing in common—their children. Perhaps that love would be the thing to pull them through the marriage they'd been forced into. Whatever the case, they knew they had a mutual ally now.

**0o.o0o.o0**

**Sirius and Hermione:**_**  
Eli (6), Noah (4), Rose (20 months), Ian (1 month)**_

**Harry and Ginny:**_**  
James (nearly 3), Albus (22 months), fetus (5 months developed)**_

**Remus and Nymphadora "Tonks" – ****both deceased****:**_**  
Ted (2)**_

**Ron and Lavender:**_**  
Patrick (4), Adrian (nearly 3), Lukas (17 months), fetus (3 months developed)**_

**Fred and Angelina:**_**  
Fred (8), Zachary (6), Roxanne (6)**_

**Percy and Audrey:**_**  
Molly (6), Lucy (5)**_

**Charlie and Katie:**_**  
Marcus (7), Ryan (5), Elliot (nearly 3)**_

**Bill and Fleur:**_**  
Victoire (15 months)**_

**Neville and Luna:**_**  
Alice (5), Samantha (3), Isabelle (10 months)**_

**Draco and Astoria:**_**  
Scorpius (23 months)**_

**Severus and Lana:**_**  
Julian (6), Damian (3)**_


	5. Chapter 5: The Granger Barbecue

**AN:**** kay, this chapter took a little longer than I would have liked, but its gone and here for you all to read now! Hope you enjoy it! And please review! They encourage me to write more, and quicker. The more reviews, the sooner I'll post again!**

**Disclaimer: yeah, not mine.**

**Chapter 5:**_**The Granger Barbecue**_

A week had passed since the incident where Rose went missing. Hermione's meeting came and went, being rescheduled to a later date. It seemed that enough of the people had understood her stress as a new mother and taken pity. She was thankful, though disappointed that she couldn't work. But then again, she didn't think she would have time to work anyways. There was always something to buy, fix, cook, go... being a mother was a job in itself, and a tiresome one at that. She hadn't had a full nights sleep since the kids arrived, or a moments peace. If she took even a second for herself, Merlin knew that someone would break something, or get hurt, or get in a fight.

Sirius was a help, but the problem was that they couldn't be with all four kids at once. There were only two of them, and somehow or another one would run off, cause trouble, and of course, Hermione would have to fix it. Mummy always fixes everything after all. Or so the kids told her. She was starting to think the Ministry had purposely given her children memories where Sirius was an arse who was never around. But then again, with his job, chances were he actually was an arse who was never around... all he ever did for work was travel, apparently, and the work came and went at random intervals, sometimes having multiple assignments one after another, while other times he didn't work for a couple months at a time.

The morning sun shone in through the window, piercing through Hermione's eyelids and rousing her from her sleep. Or, more like her nap, seeing as she'd only gone to bed an hour before. Ian was an awful sleeper. Some nights he simply refused to stop crying, other nights he woke up every half hour, eliminating any possibility of falling asleep, and because of his irregular sleeping pattern Hermione had been deprived of rest as well. Sirius honestly did try and help, but Ian never responded to him the same as Hermione, so while he did take his turns diligently, in the end Hermione got up anyways to relieve him.

So, being woken up by the sun when she'd finally managed to catch a bit of sleep was not pleasing. Groaning, she pulled her pillow over her head, grumbling about how much she hated morning and waking up. Sirius mumbled something inaudible, turning over to face her on his side of the bed.

"What time were we supposed to be at your parents' house?" he moaned, rubbing his face groggily.

"Nine." She mumbled.

It was the day when Sirius would finally be meeting his in-laws, and the children would be seeing their grandparents. Hermione had hoped for a nice, quiet lunch or dinner, but her parents were too busy every day. So, instead they would be getting to know their grandchildren and son-in-law on the day of the Granger barbecue. A tradition that had been going on since before Hermione could remember, her parents had a barbecue at the end of the summer. Hermione knew hardly anyone there, and for the past few summers Hermione hadn't seen any of the few she did know, all having busy schedules that wouldn't allow them to attend.

Her mum had requested she and her family arrive early, so Sirius and Hermione could help out and they'd have a bit of time together before everyone arrived at 10:30 and stayed until well after dinner. It was an all day event, people coming and going as they pleased, the house and yard packed with people and kids. When her mother had suggested the idea, Hermione agreed. Now, she wanted nothing more than to keep sleeping.

"It's seven-thirty." Sirius sighed, and was answered with a moan of protest.

"Sleepy." Was Hermione's muffled answer, which just made Sirius laugh.

"You shower; I'll make breakfast and wake the kids."

Pulling the pillow from her head, she gave a tired smile, "I love you right now."

He just smirked, sitting up and throwing the thin sheet that had covered him aside to reveal his usual sleeping gear—pajama pants. Not for the first time Hermione felt her eyes pausing on his bare chest a moment longer than they should have. Not that you could blame her, he was _toned_. And that was just his body, she wasn't even mentioning his facial features, his large hands or roughish tattoos... no man his age should have looked that good. And really, she was married to him, she was allowed to look if she wanted.

Watching him leave the room, Hermione let out a big yawn, stretching in bed. Then, realizing she was using borrowed time, she jumped from bed and hurried to the bathroom. Sirius couldn't distract the kids all at the same time for long, and soon enough Ian would wake wanting his breakfast—something she _knew _Sirius wouldn't be able to give him.

Showering was once a daily routine, to be followed because it was needed. Now, it was like a gift, a little pleasure to be enjoyed. It was a sad fact that since becoming a mother, it was very difficult finding enough time to get a good, relaxing shower in. Most days it was a quick in out deal, so fast essentials were washed but there was no enjoyment. So, knowing the kids were being fed and occupied by Sirius, Hermione allowed herself to relax as the hot water hit her back, relieving knots that had built up over the past week. It was simply heavenly.

Finishing her shower and taking a few extra minutes to add a bit of makeup and cast a charm to help somewhat tame her hair—two things she'd been unable to do for the past week. It was nice, being able to control her hair again, even if only slightly. Then, pulling on jeans and a nice t-shirt, she slipped on a pair of clogs and headed downstairs. Laughter was drifting in from the kitchen. Poking her head inside, a slapped a hand over her mouth at the sight, holding in a laugh.

There stood Sirius, covered in flour, his black hair pure white. His spatula was held up in the air, looking like a flag of surrender as Noah looked up at his father with wide eyes, holding a now empty bag of flour. Eli and Rose were giggling away in their seats, gray eyes shining with amusement.

Sirius' eyes were shut, and Hermione could see he was holding in an outburst of anger, taking deep breaths. Swallowing hard, Sirius growled out, "Thank you, Noah."

The boy whimpered, "Sorry Daddy. I wanted to help..."

Hermione decided to make her presence known, before Sirius lost all patience. "Now what on earth happened in here?"

All occupants of the kitchen turned, Noah looking as though his salvation had appeared, Eli and Rose still giggling, and Sirius having a mixture of apology, irritation, and awe on his face.

Without a word Noah dropped the bag, scattering the remaining flour on the floor, and darted to his mother, holding his arms out. Picking up the four-year-old boy, she observed his slightly soiled outfit, brushing flour off. Sirius stiffened at the new mess.

"Breathe, Sirius." Hermione instructed, pulling her wand from her back pocket and waving it at the floor, effectively sweeping up the mess and banishing it to the trash.

"Noah wanted to help Daddy put away the pancake stuff, but he tripped and threw the white stuff on Daddy." Eli supplied, still giggling behind a hand.

Hermione nodded, stroking the boy's hair as he burrowed his face into her neck. "Well we all make mistakes." She assured, settling him back into his seat. "Eat your breakfast." She instructed, and the children obeyed.

Smiling, she moved to stand beside Sirius, raising an eyebrow, "You could have just given them cereal."

"Didn't think of it..." he muttered, looking at his clothes in dismay, "Is making breakfast always like this?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes."

Sirius again looked at the young woman in awe, "You," he said, sounding very tired, "are my new hero."

Hermione laughed, carefully prodding him towards the door with a finger, "Go get cleaned up. And don't get flour all over the room!"

He grinned, "Yes, ma'am." Leaving the room, he paused by Noah and ruffled the kid's hair, making it a bit floury, "Thanks for the help, Whirlwind." For his comment and affection, Sirius was awarded with an animated grin.

Half an hour later the family were ready to leave, everyone cleaned up and ready to go. Hermione let Buster out into the yard, giving him a large bowl of water and food for while they were gone. Then, putting together a diaper bag for the kids—diapers, snacks, toys, all the newborn essentials—they set out. Her parents would finally be meeting their grandchildren, and their son-in-law. Sirius was anything but excited.

Apparating, the family arrived a few blocks down from Hermione's childhood home. Making sure the family was all there and in one piece, Hermione shifted her hold on Ian, took Noah's hand, and began leading the way. Sirius followed, the diaper bag hanging from his shoulder as he placed Rose on her shoulder's and walked beside Eli.

"Mummy, are we there yet?" Noah asked, looking up at his mother. She glanced down, seeing his insane hair, and wishing to find a way and tame it. Not that it would do any good—his hair was just as bad as hers had been. It would tame with time and maturity, but she knew it would never fully listen.

"No, sweetie, just a few more blocks." She answered.

The boy kicked a rock, watching it bounce curiously. "What a rock made of?"

"Minerals." She answered absently, bouncing Ian a bit as he let out a small whine. He was probably hungry again.

Noah scrunched up his face, "What's a mitral?" he asked, stumbling over the word.

"Mineral." Hermione corrected, making a similar expression as her son as she tried to think of a way to describe minerals to a boy so young.

"They're like... really little crystals." She said, "All the crystals bunch together and become a rock."

Noah nodded, though didn't seem satisfied yet, "How do they do that?"

"Well... it depends on the rock." She said, glancing at Sirius helplessly. He simply shrugged.

"Why?"

The family was still walking towards her parent's home, Hermione's movements familiar, retracing a well-known route.

"Well, there are many kinds of rocks. They can't all form the same way."

"Why?"

She sighed. She suddenly had a deeper respect for her parents. She was just like Noah when she was a little girl. "Well, a rock in a cold place cant be made through heat."

"Why?"

"Because there's no heat in a cold place."

"Why?"

"Because if there was, it wouldn't be cold."

"Wh—"

"Noah," Sirius interrupted, "do you want a turn riding on my shoulders?"

The boy's eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically, dropping his mother's hand and hurrying to stand in front of his father. The group paused to let Sirius place Rose on the ground and pick Noah up and settle him in on his shoulders. The boy forgot all about his questioning, and Hermione shot her husband a grateful smile. Eli wordlessly took Noah's old spot, grabbing his mother's free hand as Sirius kept Noah steady with one hand and held one of Rose's hands with his other.

A few minutes later the young woman spotted her family home, and a smile formed on her face. It was a modest one story, with beautiful flowers and bushes, climbing roses reaching up the house. The windows and front door were all opened to let in the breeze of the morning and the sweet smell of flowers. Hermione could already smell the lavender bushes, one of her favorite scents. Smiling, she lead the way up the steps, stopping on the stoop and knocking on the open door.

"Hello?" she called, looking inside the entrance hallway, smiling at the familiar pictures, hardwood floor, and warm colored walls. Her smile grew larger as her mother poked her head out of the kitchen. Hermione took very little after her father. They had the same body shapes, and the same eyes, but her mother's hair was straight and strawberry blond, her skin much more fair and delicate. The woman let out a squeal of excitement upon spotting her daughter and grandchildren, hurrying from the kitchen.

"Nathan, Hermione's here!" she called, pulling her daughter into a quick hug, then enveloping each child. She even went so far as to hug Sirius, planting a friendly kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, its so good to see you all. Come in, come in!" she waved everyone in, her eyes taking in the four children with a deep fondness. She seemed to have no difficulty in embracing the idea of being a grandmother. "Aren't you all looking so nice!" she complimented. Sirius and Hermione's eyebrows shot up at the moment, taking in all four children. Noah's hair was a mass of uncontrollable curls and his clothes were still a bit messy from that morning. Rose had tripped multiple times on the way over, getting her dress dirty. Ian was a drooling mess, his short hair poking out in odd directions, while Eli had decided he wanted to dress himself that morning, resulting in an outfit of clashing, vibrant colors. Not the impression Hermione had hoped for her children to make, but what could she do?

Wordlessly, Fiona Granger held out her arms for her youngest grandson, and Hermione gladly handed him off. The woman bounced him in her arms, chooing affectionately. Glancing away from her mother, Hermione smiled as her father made an entrance from the living room.

"Daddy." Hermione smiled, and her father grinned, opening his arms for her. Mr. Granger was obviously Hermione's father, with the same olive coloring and curly brown hair. His eyes were covered by a pair of square glasses, and his two front teeth looked a bit on the larger side, much like Hermione's once were, before she had them magically resized. They had the same smile, Sirius noted, with the same two dimples. As they embraced, Sirius could see that they were very close.

Pulling away, Nathan looked over at his wife, grandchildren, and son-in-law. As the men looked at each other, Nathan's smile wavered, pulling down into a slight frown. The two men looked close in age, Hermione's father only ten or so years older. Turning his gaze to the children, a soft smile formed.

"Grandpa!" Noah crowed, running to the man. Nathan looked mildly surprised, but easily grabbed the boy, swinging him into the air and hugging him as Noah giggled away, hugging the man around the neck. Hermione realized that in his fake memories, Noah must have been very close to his grandfather. Eli followed behind, more subdued and hugged his grandpa as well, having already hugged his grandmother. Rose just watched everyone, not approaching the older people.

Mr. Granger ruffled both boy's hair, then turned to Sirius, his face once again turning to a frown. Sticking out his hand, Sirius shook his, both men sizing the other up.

"Good to meet you." Nathan said in a rough voice.

"Same. Hermione has only said good things about you." Sirius said, being awarded with a small grunt. The younger man wondered what that was supposed to mean. He glanced at Hermione, and she was watching the men with caution, eyes shining hopefully.

"I'm afraid I've heard very little of you." Mr. Granger answered.

Sirius winced, rubbing his neck awkwardly, "Yes, well, under the circumstances..."

Nathan waved him off wordlessly, moving to investigate his youngest grandson, whom Fiona was still gushing over.

"That went well." Hermione said brightly.

Sirius looked at her incredulously, "That was _well_?"

She smiled a bit, "Well, the way he reacted to the news, I half expected him to try and throttle you, to be perfectly honest."

"Yes, well, there's still plenty time for that..." the man muttered, looking at his in-laws out of the corner of his eye. But he had to admit, it did go better than he'd thought. He was thinking they would tar and feather him.

For the next hour or so Hermione and Sirius helped around the house to ready for the party, bouncing between watching the children and doing any task they were asked of. And all too soon, the party had begun, people arriving one after another. Before they knew it, the house was filled to exploding point. Hermione sat in the living room, having no idea where the majority of her children were. She knew Ian was being passed around to all the ladies, all gushing over the infant. Rose was probably with her daddy, seeming horribly shy in the environment, while Noah and Eli were a mystery to her. There were other children, so she could only assume they were playing with them.

"Hermione, it's been so long." A woman said, pulling Hermione from her thoughts. It was some very old friend of her mother's, whom she hadn't seen since her third year at Hogwarts, and even then she'd been too preoccupied with studying for the new year of Hogwarts—and worrying over her friend, Harry—to really pay any attention to the busybody.

"Mrs. Roberts." She sighed, smiling tiredly at the woman.

She looked the girl up and down, making a tutting sound, "My dear, you look simply exhausted."

The brunette laughed, "Yes, well, I'm just trying to adapt."

The woman's eyes lit up, and Hermione could see the desire for a juicy story. "Oh? Whatever do you mean?"

"Sirius and I are having a bit of trouble adapting to the new baby, that's all." She answered nonchalantly, making it seem like no big deal. Best to appear completely at ease in these situations—if you gave any sign of discomfort your lies would be hindered transparent.

"New baby? Fiona never mentioned anything." She said, and Hermione could see the thirst for a scandal.

So, Hermione faked surprise. "Oh, really? Strange. He was born last month. His brothers and sister adore him already."

"Why, Hermione dear, how many children do you have?" the woman gasped, eyes widening.

"Four. Eli, Noah, Rose, and little Ian." She smiled fondly. "Sirius and I hadn't planned on having so many, but..." she shrugged helplessly, still smiling. Pushing back a strand of hair, she inconspicuously flashed her wedding ring.

Mrs. Roberts laughed slightly, "Well, I hadn't even realized you were so grown up. Last I remember you were a little girl, burying your nose in your books, and now look at you! Married, four children, working no doubt." She shook her head, "No wonder you're so tired!"

Hermione nodded, smiling when she spotted Eli pushing through the crowd. In moments he was climbing onto the couch, burrowing into her side. Absentmindedly, Hermione played with the boy's smooth, black hair, threading her fingers through it.

"One of your children?" Mrs. Roberts asked, smiling at the little boy. He responded by pushing his face further into his mother's stomach, hiding from the strange lady shyly.

"Yes, my oldest. Eli, say hello to Mrs. Roberts. She's a friend of Grandmum." Hermione said, lowering her head slightly so it was closer to the six-year-old's ear. He glanced up, waved a hand, then returned to cuddling into his mother. Frowning at her child's odd behavior, she smiled at the woman and excused herself, picking up her son and carrying him to a secluded area. He didn't resist, and clung to her neck, his legs dangling in the air. Going into her old room—which had been transitioned into a guest room since moving out—she set him down, kneeling down so they were at the same level.

"Alright, baby, time to tell me what's wrong." She said, brushing his bangs off of his forehead and watching his sad face.

Eli shrugged, avoiding her eyes, shuffling his feet wordlessly.

Hermione frowned. She'd never seen her boy so awkward. He was most certainly not as spontaneous, outgoing, or hyper as Noah, but he was sweet, with his father's same charisma and friendly nature. It was apparent that something had upset him, but what she didn't know.

"Eli, you know you can tell me anything, don't you?" he nodded wordlessly, "And you know that I'll do anything for you?" he nodded again, glancing up at her carefully, then back down. "So will you tell Mummy what's wrong?"

Still frowning a sad face, he began to mumble, "There were a bunch of guys saying stuff about you and Daddy... they were saying Daddy was robbing a cradle, but Daddy's never robbed anything!" he looked up at his mother, tears prickling at his eyes, "And then one said you were a slup... and they were laughing really meanly and looking at me weird."

A stern frown was pulling her lips, though Hermione fought to keep a neutral expression. Pulling her boy into a hug, she kissed his head, rubbing her hands up and down his back soothingly.

"Its alright, sweetheart." Pulling back, she wiped away a tear with her thumb. "Will you show me these men?"

Nodding, Hermione stood to her full height, letting Eli take her hand and lead her into the backyard. Looking around the yard, she followed her son's finger as it pointed to three men, huddled together under the shade of some trees, all holding a bottle of beer and talking lowly. She felt their eyes on her and her frown appeared. Kneeling down to Eli's level once again, she forced a smile.

"Go find your grandmum so she can get you something yummy to eat. It'll cheer you up." she smiled, cupping the boy's cheek in a motherly way, and he nodded, turning and heading back into the house. Watching him go for a moment, Hermione made sure he was entirely in the house before standing, and turning to look at the men again. She vaguely remembered the group, though could hardly say she was ever close to them. Cousins to one of her parent's old friends, maybe, or friends of a friend. Not related to her in any way, so she was surprised they actually even knew who she was. But then, the entire party was full of busybodies who enjoyed gossip—it was unavoidable that word would get around. Luckily, only very close family actually realized just how young she was, and those who were close enough to know that already understood the whole witch thing. Aside from those closest to her, she'd never bothered socializing with people.

Putting on her least hostile expression—which was difficult since she was horribly pissed—Hermione approached the trio, forcing a smile.

"Hi there." She greeted.

The nodded, glancing at each other as though they had an inside joke that she wasn't in on. And as far as they knew, she wasn't in on it.

"Hermione Granger, you sure have grown up." the man in the middle commented, leering quite obviously. Hermione fought back an expression of disgust.

She laughed in a fake manner, "Yes, I'm not the little girl who spent her time reading all day anymore." she agreed.

One choked on his beer, snorting with laughter, "Yes, as we hear it you spend your days doing other things."

She smiled thinly, eyes narrowing. "Which brings me to the point of his conversation." They rose their brows questioning, and Hermione let her face show the true anger she'd been hiding. "I honestly could care less what you think of me and my husband. I don't know you, have no desire to know you, and your opinion is worth less than a pile of dung." She pointed a finger in their faces, "But if you _ever _say those things when _my _children are about, I will not be held accountable for what I will do to you." The men all looked beyond flabbergasted. "If my children come to me near tears because _you _have upset them, you will severely regret it."

Blinking at her threat, the middle man finally laughed, seeming to find this horribly amusing. "Right, you're gonna make _us_ regret it?" the continued to laugh, and her anger began to bubble up.

Frowning, she lowered her arm, giving each man a glare. She turned to leave, not wanting to waste another moment on them. Then, thinking better of it, she swung back around, fingers rolled into a fist, and decked the middle man hard in the nose. She felt and heard the crunch, and watched in irritated satisfaction as he howled in pain and clutched his nose, her fist still rolled up and glowering as he let out a stream of profanities.

"Upset one of my babies again, and you'll get a lost worse than that." she spat, turning and walking away from the scene, ignoring the looks from everyone around her. She noticed Sirius looking at her with wide eyes, shrugged, and continued into the house to find her son and reassure him that the mean men wouldn't be a problem any longer.


	6. Chapter 6: Just Checking in!

**AN:**** I'm so sorry for the wait! I meant to get this chapter up last week, but sadly real-life caught up with me... lots going on in school, and I'm scrambling to finish everything up before summer. Last day of school is in three weeks though, so once summer is here I'll be able to post a lot more! In other news... I got a new laptop! It's pretty awesome. That's partly why it took so long to post, had to transfer everything from the old one to the new... but this one isn't gonna crash on me all the time, so finishing each chapter should be a bit faster now. So, anyways, hope you enjoy the reading! And please review! **

**Reviews = Happy Writer**

**Happy Writer = More Muse**

**More Muse = More Posts!**

**Disclaimer: as always, don't own Harry Potter, just the plot and most of the kid characters. **

**Chapter 6:**_**Just Checking in!**_

"Hermione, would you like to explain what, exactly, that was about?"

Glancing up from where she was scooping up a plate of food for Noah, Hermione looked at Sirius, shrugging absently as she continued serving her son. Sirius looked bewildered, a tad stressed, and even a little irritated. He held rose, letting her settle onto his hip with one arm holding her up, the other pushing back his hair. It was beginning to grow a bit shaggy—apparently Hermione wasn't the only one who hadn't been able to find the time to keep to their normal grooming routines.

"I was just dealing with a problem." She replied, handing Noah the plate and rubbing his curly head as he smiled up at her, said a quick thanks, and shot off like a rocket.

Sirius raised his eyebrows, "Hermione, I know you are more than capable to take care of a problem without using your fists."

He was given a response consisting of an irritated sigh, and a snap of, "You are hardly the person to lecture on appropriate uses of violence."

The dark haired man flinched slightly, and instantly Hermione wished she could take it back. It was out of line to take out her frustration on Sirius, he was only trying to help after all.

"I'm sorry, I'm just... frustrated." She sighed, moving away from the table she had helped fill with food earlier, going to a more secluded corner. Sirius followed, after setting Rose down, and leaned in close with worried eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice lowered slightly to avoid eavesdropping.

Frowning, Hermione tugged on a strand of frizzy honey brown hair. Her eyes traveled to where she could see Eli sitting with a little girl, whom she believed was one of her cousin's children, and Rose. They seemed to be flipping through a picture book, and she could see Eli's lips moving, suggesting he was reading—or perhaps making up a story from what the pictures suggested. Letting out a sigh, she turned her eyes back to Sirius, who was closer to her than she'd expected. Their faces were only inches apart, one arm supporting him on the wall as he leaned in to her, in an attempt to keep their conversation private.

Pushing away the odd fluttering in her stomach, she began to explain, first telling Sirius how she'd noticed Eli was acting oddly, then to what he had heard, going into how she confronted the men and how vile they'd acted.

"They were being so _rude_, and they didn't seem to care at all that my son was upset... I lost it. I don't have an excuse, and I know it shouldn't have happened." Her eyes hardened then, and she said sternly, "But I would do it again in a heartbeat, Sirius. No one is going to hurt my children if I can help it, whether it be verbal or physical pain."

By the end of the conversation Sirius, too, looked anything but pleased. He was fighting to keep a neutral expression, much as she had with Eli, but she saw the strain, along with the pulsing vein in his temple. Nodding, he wordlessly pulled her into a hug, much to Hermione's shock. For a moment she simply stood there, arms at her side. Then, carefully she allowed her arms to slip around his waist, resting her head in his chest.

"All I have to say is serves the bloody wanker right." He said, face buried in her crazy hair. Hermione chuckled a bit, pulling away and looking up at him.

"Just so you know, I won't hesitate to punch you, too, if you ever upset one of our children."

Sirius smirked in response, "Your threat is duly noted."

The Blacks stayed at the barbecue for a couple more hours, but when Ian began being fussy Hermione decided it was time to go home. Collecting all the kids and bidding her parents goodbye, Hermione led the way out, and soon enough the family arrived on their front deck. Allowing Sirius to open the door as she continued bouncing a cranky Ian, the three older children bounced on their heels impatiently, as shot through the door the moment it was opened a crack.

Within an hour Hermione and Sirius had got the kids settled in, and even managed to get Ian to fall to sleep for a quick nap. Hermione was looking forward to a bit of rest and, perhaps, a nap of her own. Unfortunately, the doorbell rang.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Black."

Hermione blinked at the man standing on her deck, briefcase in one hand, smile on his face while dressed in business robes.

"... Mr. Baliss." She said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What a surprise."

"It shouldn't be my dear. I sent an owl last Wednesday telling I'd be dropping in." he was still smiling, though there was a hint of puzzlement in it.

Hermione's eyebrows rose briefly, "I'm sorry, sir, it must not have made it." Realizing she was being rude, she stepped out of the doorway to give him room, "Please, come in. I'm sorry the house is a bit of a mess..."

He smiled, "It's to be expected." Was the reassurance he gave, stepping over the threshold and taking in his surroundings. From his viewpoint the house looked very tidy, especially compared to many other couples he'd visited that day. Some houses were littered with clothes, toys, dirty dishes, and much more. He could see he would have to continue visiting those families for quite some time. The Blacks however... he had high hopes for them, despite their initial reluctance.

Within a few minutes the three adults in the house had sat down to chat, Hermione bringing out a cup of tea for everyone and settling onto the couch beside Sirius, Mr. Baliss making himself at home in an armchair. Buster lay on the floor lazily, Rosie cuddled up against him, having fallen asleep upon arriving home. Hermione had gushed and taken a few pictures, and then decided she'd let the girl sleep where she was, considering she probably wouldn't take a nap otherwise. Ian was still asleep upstairs, and the boys were playing in the backyard on the playground Sirius had put together.

"So how are you both?" the old man started out. This prompted Sirius and Hermione to exchange glances.

Turning her eyes back to Baliss, Hermione answered, "As well as can be expected."

He smiled, "Of course. I'm sure you must have some questions or concerns?"

Sirius sat forward slightly, "I have one. Ian, our youngest?" Baliss nodded in encouragement, glancing at some paperwork to likely figure out which one it was. "He doesn't sleep. I know most babies can't sleep through the night, but this is insane."

Hermione nodded her agreement, "He hardly sleeps at all, really, and when he does it's usually sporadic and broken up. And almost every night he'll spend hours just crying—"

"Screaming." Sirius corrected, wincing at the very memory.

"—and yet there is nothing wrong that we can see." Hermione finished, a frown playing at her face. Sirius frowned too, knowing she had doubts of her abilities as a mother. Which was ridiculous considering how naturally motherhood had come to her.

Baliss nodded, "Some babies can be like that." He paused to consider, saying thoughtfully, "it's possible he's colicky."

The couple frowned, Hermione looking anything but pleased with this news, while Sirius simply appeared confused and curious.

"Colicky?" he inquired, eyebrows quirking.

"It's a problem many babies have, though most are unsure what it actually is. Basically, it is a list of symptoms an infant may or may not have, but with no absolute cure." Baliss explained. "Many parents have found different methods than can help soothe their child, but nothing that is an instant fix, and of course, every child is different."

Sirius was now frowning along with Hermione. "So we're pretty much just gonna to have to learn to live off of no sleep."

"For the time being, that is very possible." He could see stormy expressions, and his hopes of a nice family situation appeared in dire jeopardy. "Of course, usually by three months old the symptoms will go away." He rushed to pacify.

As the meeting moved on the man gave different methods parents used, and ways mothers could help. For example, Hermione was now told to cut down on spicy foods and lots of dairy products, because the breast milk produced might upset her son's stomach, which would only make the issue worse.

After talking about Ian, Baliss gave ideas for entertaining the older ones in healthy, active ways, along with meal and snack ideas for Hermione to try out. Baliss gave so much insight; by the end of the meeting Hermione and Sirius were very, very grateful for the visit. After waving him off Hermione went into the kitchen to start dinner, calling the boys indoors when she noticed some storm clouds headed their way. Both came inside, Noah shooting off up the stairs, Eli following behind at a slower, but still speedy pace. Hermione called after them to slow down, though of course they ignored the call and continued at the pace they pleased.

A few moments later Sirius walked into the room, cradling a drowsy Ian in his arms, lightly bouncing him as he walked, smiling down at the little boy as he ducked his head and swished his hair in his face. Ian gurgled and smiled sleepily, reaching his little fists in the air as he tried to grab fists full of the black locks. Hermione smiled at the two, glancing into the living room where she saw Rose, still cuddled up with Buster, though no longer asleep, simply laying there, snuggled up to the dog's warm body and playing with her stuffed hippogriff. Smiling at the image, she turned back to the spaghetti she was boiling.

"You're a natural." Hermione commented, shooting a smile over her shoulder at the man.

Sirius just laughed, "Not really. I used to do this with Harry when he was a baby. I've had a bit of practice is all."

Coming to stand by Hermione, Sirius grinned when she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the infant's forehead, smirking when he grabbed a handful of frizzy hair.

"No, no, Ian, let go of Mummy's hair." She said, reaching a hand up to gently pry his fingers loose.

Once she was lose she stirred the pot of spaghetti. Noticing Sirius was hovering, she frowned a bit. Noticing the frown, the man smiled a bit sheepishly. Clearing his voice and shifting Ian in his arms, seeming to purposely place him so that he was something of a shield, he spoke.

"So, Hermione, I have something to tell you."

Eyes narrowing, she nodded, "Alright, talk." Somehow, she knew she wasn't going to like whatever he was going to tell her.

His smile was turning nervous, "Well, you know I have a job," she nodded slowly, "And you know I have to travel..." Hermione was looking pissed, arms crossed, still holding her wooden spoon in a tight grip. "Well, I was given an assignment in Belgium... I'm to leave on Monday morning."

The two adults simply stared at each other for a few moments, neither making a sound or motion. Sirius looked worried, Hermione looked pissed.

Hermione let out a long breath, "How long?"

This question caused Sirius to look particularly uncomfortable, "How long?" he repeated, sounding panicky.

"Yes, Sirius, how long. As in the length of time you will be gone. How. Long." She looked like a dragon whose tail had just been stepped on, and Sirius was the unfortunate owner of the foot.

"Well... just, err, a couple of weeks... maybe three, if things don't go over well..."

Her eyes blazed, and despite her small size Sirius was very much fearing for his life as she took a step at him. He held Ian up, "I'm holding your youngest son, you hurt me and you hurt him!" he cried, backing away in alarm.

He almost believed she would hit him anyways, but to his great relief the wooden spoon was lowered, and with a face still filled with immense fury, she turned back to the spaghetti without another word. Still, he was sure he could see steam shooting from her ears and hear the curses she was thinking in her head. Unsure whether to run while he had the chance or try to placate his wife, he decided on the latter.

"I tried to get out of it, I swear, Hermione, but my job is fragile as it is. I'm lucky to have it at all. They'd take whatever excuse they could to fire me."

Hermione said nothing, though he noticed she wasn't quite as stiff anymore. That had to count for something, didn't it? He moved a bit closer, believing he was no longer in any immediate danger.

"Besides, you're so good with the children, you'll do fine without me."

Those were, without a doubt, some of the worse words he could have used. In a moment she was ridged again, and in one swift movement she jabbed the wooden spoon into his side painfully, effectively maneuvering it around Ian. He cursed at the pain that shot through him, hardly noticing when Hermione took Ian out of his arms.

"So that's it, you think that since I'm so good with them you can just run off to work and leave me alone for _three weeks_?" she screeched at him, holding her baby to her chest as she shot daggers at the child's father. "_Three weeks_? What were you thinking? You weren't thinking! You just wanted a break, and now you're off to Belgium, leaving your _twenty-year-old wife _to take care of your _four children_!"

"Ruddy hell, woman, I told you I tried to get out of it!" he growled back, rubbing his injured side tenderly.

"Of course you'd tell me that! That's what you'd like me to think! What man in his right mind is going to tell his wife he purposely got a job to get away for practically an entire month?"

"... A dumb one?" he ask, receiving a slap of a glare in response.

"That was a rhetorical question." She spat.

"If you would just listen to me so I could explain..." he begged.

Hermione just shook her head, turning away and picking up a clean spoon, "I have to finish dinner." She said, cradling Ian in one arm and stirring the noodles with the other.

It was a dismissal, and an obvious one. Letting out a sigh of resignation, he turned and left the kitchen, absentmindedly picking up Rose when she appeared in front of him with her arms raised into the air. Ascending the stairs, his two oldest sons stood at the top, Noah looking curious, Eli looking curious and a little protective.

"What's wrong with Mummy?" he demanded, looking at his father guardedly.

He sighed, moving forward and going into the master bedroom, the children following. Setting Rose down on the bed and settling in himself, he patted the bed for the boys to join him. They did, Noah and Rose snuggling into his side as Eli sat crisscross in front of him.

"Mummy is a little upset with me at the moment." He explained his words heavy and weary, sounding tired.

"Why?" Noah asked.

"I have to go on a business trip for a little while." He explained. "Your mum would rather I didn't."

"Then don't." Eli said, as though it were the most simple thing in the world. But then, being only six years old, it would seem simple.

He shook his head, "The boss man will sack me if I don't go, I'm afraid."

Noah wrinkled his nose in confusion, in a similar way his mother often did. "What?"

He just smiled softly, hugging the kid tighter, "I have to go."

Rose buried her face in his chest, shaking her head in the negative. "No."

The man blinked in surprise, looking down at the little girl. That was possibly the first word he'd ever heard his daughter say. He knew, of course, that she could speak, but it seemed she never did. And now, learning that her father would be leaving, she spoke. It broke his heart that he would have to deny her. Stroking her curls affectionately, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Sorry, Butterfly, but Daddy has to. But I'll be back soon, and I'll bring you all presents." He assured, hoping that might brighten the kids up.

Luckily, it had the desired effect, and the kids were quickly ranting off things he'd like, all of which he was sure he'd forget in about an hour. But for the moment they were happy and no longer dwelling. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Hermione, because as soon as she called everyone down to dinner she refused to acknowledge him at all, and when bedtime came around he found the bedroom door locked, with his pajamas, a pillow, and a blanket sitting neatly outside the door. Apparently he would be sleeping on the couch for the night. Sighing, he picked up his things and went downstairs, vowing to avoid ever upsetting his wife again.

Fighting with Hermione sucked.


	7. Chapter 7: Hostility between Generations

**AN:**** whoa, so, this chapter didn't get posted nearly as soon as I had thought it would. I was hit with this huge bit of writer's block, and I've been having trouble getting past it. Sadly this chapter isn't as long as I would like, and I'm not very happy with it, but I wanted to get something out there to you guys, and hopefully the next chapter will be easier and up sooner than this one.**

**So! Enjoy the chapter and please R&R with your thoughts and any suggestions you can think of. Preferably things I could do while Sirius is gone. Anything you want to see happen while he's gone? People you'd like to meet? Events to happen? Share your ideas! I LOVE suggestions, they just get all sorts of creative gears working.**

**Disclaimer:**** still don't own Harry Potter, but I do own the majority of the children characters. And Buster.**

**Chapter 7:**_**Hostility between Generations**_

The next few days passed with Hermione in a sour mood, and Sirius receiving the cold shoulder. The first few nights he was locked out of his room, and when his young wife finally allowed him to sleep in his own bed she always went to sleep after him and woke up before. During the day she busied herself with caring for the children and going on outings. So, since the day of the barbecue the couple had hardly seen each other for more than an hour each day.

Sirius hated it.

Never in his life had Sirius Black ever been ignored to such a degree, especially by a woman. It seemed that nothing he could say would sooth the anger she was feeling. He had never gone so long in the young woman's presence without at least a couple words of acknowledgement. He missed her laughter that usually filled the house, and the amused glances which she usually threw his way whenever he was goofing off with the kids. He missed sitting with her drinking coffee in the morning before they woke the kids up, and taking care of Ian in the middle of the night and seeing the tender nature in which she soothed the infant, despite how tired and frustrated she might be. Hell, he even missed their fights and arguments, and the annoyed and reproaching glances she shot him when he said something she didn't agree with. The silence was killing him. He felt like a ghost, invisible and ignored. But before he knew it Monday morning was there, his trunk was packed, and it was time to go away on business. And he had yet to make up with his young wife.

"Daddy, I don't want you to leave," little Noah pouted, his bottom lip jutting out as he clung to the man's leg. Sirius felt his stomach clench as he looked at the pitiful state of his children. Rosie was in his arms, clinging to him with her face buried into his neck, Noah holding his leg captive, and Eli was standing in front of him. He looked as though he were in an internal battle between begging his father to stay and staying composed and being the 'big boy' of the bunch. Hermione was standing a ways away, holding Ian and watching with the exchange with a blank face. Internally she was filling with a sadness and deep dread. Outwardly she didn't seem to care whether he stayed or left.

"I'll be back before you know it." Sirius assured, ruffling the four year old's crazy mass of curls. Kissing Rosie on the top of her head he bent down and set her on the wood flooring, sparing a moment to caress her smooth cheek before pulling his two boys into a hug. Then standing, he looked up at where Hermione stood. She instantly turned her head away, bouncing Ian lightly in her arms. He saw her biting her lip, and suddenly saw the one thing he hadn't since this whole thing began.

Hermione wasn't actually angry with him. Well, she was angry, but not to the extent she'd been showing. She was hurt. Him leaving had hurt her, and she was using anger to hide that pain. Mentally, he kicked himself for not seeing it earlier. Breathing out a sigh, he approached her, taking Ian from her arms and kissing his head, then tickling the baby's stomach, causing him to grin.

"I'll miss you, little guy," he said, and then shifted his gaze to Hermione. "I'll miss you, too."

Hermione shrugged, still avoiding his gaze.

"If you need to contact me just owl my office, they'll get a message to me."

Another shrug was Sirius' only reply. Resigned, he nodded and handed Ian back.

"I'll see you in a few weeks then." He said, frowning as she nodded in agreement and then turned from him, swiftly walking from the entry hall and into the kitchen. Another frown marred Sirius' face, though he put on a smile as he turned around to look at the remaining three children.

"Well, I'm off! Be good for your mother," he instructed, giving each another hug and kiss. And then the three eldest Black children stood in the doorway and watched their father walk down to the road and spin on his heels, disapparating from their sight.

**0o.o0o.o0o.o0**

"I'm just so upset with him, Ginny. I know it's his job, but I still feel betrayed." Hermione vented as they walked through Diagon Alley, both women pushing double strollers and Hermione holding the hand of a child while keeping a close eye on another.

Ginny nodded, "Well you've only been parents for a couple of weeks." She agreed, "I'd be furious with Harry if he left me for three weeks to take care of the kids by myself." She paused as Hermione yet again instructed Eli to hold on to the stroller. "And I only have two." She added.

The brunette shook her head, "It's not even that we have so many and I'm afraid I can't do it," she explained, "it's that we should be doing this together. It's only been a few weeks and already he's going to be gone for nearly a month." She stopped as Ginny paused to glance in a store, worrying her bottom lip. "I'm just worried that this is how our entire life together is going to be. Me taking care of the kids while he's going all over the world," was her soft murmur.

Ginny sighed, letting go of the stroller momentarily to hug her friend. "It won't be, you'll see. This is just one trip. He said himself his work is varied and uncertain—you might be stuck with him for the next five months before he goes on an assignment again."

Nodding, Hermione smiled in thanks to her friend before they continued on their way. Entering a children's robes store the two browsed through the clothes, both muttering over how quickly their children seemed to be growing out of everything.

Nothing would have prepared them for what would happen next.

"Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley." A silky voice drawled.

Both women froze, feeling as though ice had just been poured down their spines. Turning slowly, they looked at the man standing behind them. Tall with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and somehow resembling something like a bat, he was unmistakable. To the young women.

"It's Mrs. Potter now, Professor." Ginny corrected, a hand seeming to settle on her stomach out of instinct. Severus Snape's black eyes glanced down at her rounding stomach with a flash of distain going across his features. He looked back up, the look of disgust only slightly conceiled.

"Of course, my mistake." Turning his eyes to Hermione, he raised his eyebrows, "And who do you have the fortune of taking the name of, Ms. Granger?" the man didn't seem in the least interested, if anything it was as though he were simply asking out of courtesy. "A young Mr. Weasley no doubt?"

Ah ha, so he did already have his suspicions. Obviously he had yet to look at any of her children. Speaking off…

Holding up a finger she looked around, eyes searching the place where her kids had just stood. And, as suspected, they were gone.

"Shit," looking at Ginny she shot a exasperated glance, "they're gone again. I can't turn my back for one second before they go running off…"

"Very much like their mother," Snape said, in a tone Hermione almost might call amusement. Likely because she was finally experiencing what he had gone through.

The brunette shook her head, "If only. No, they take after their father. He's much worse." She was walking through some rows of clothes, Snape trailing after her. What in Merlin's name he was doing in a children's store was beyond her, but she was too busy looking for her kids to worry. They'd even rolled off with Ian in the stroller!

"Weasley wasn't—" his words were cut off by the sudden warrior cries of children. Alarm flushed through Hermione and she rushed towards the screams. Parents from all over the store swarmed towards the screams.

The screams belonged to two little boys, in the back of the store. A group of other children were crowding around the boy's, both dark haired and swinging at each other as though their very lives depended on it. In horror Hermione watched as her eldest son got a solid punch in the eye, only to retaliate by tackling the other kid to the ground.

"Eli Sirius Black, get off of him this instant!" she screeched, rushing forward and grabbing him round the waist, lifting him off the slightly larger boy. Eli went limp instantly, allowing his arms to drop to his sides.

"Julien," a dangerously soft voice said, "get up this instant."

The boy on the ground jumped to his feet, dusting himself off and shooting Eli a nasty glance before walking over to Severus Snape, avoiding eye gaze.

Hermione blinked in surprise as she looked at the two. The boy, Julien, looked almost exactly like Snape. Same fair skin, limp black hair, and even the nose (though Julien's had yet to reach quite the same size). It hadn't occurred to the young woman until that very moment, but she realized with a shock that, since Sirius was affected by the marriage law, it only stood to reason that Snape would be, too. She felt foolish for not realizing this sooner.

"So, you married Black?" the dark professor asked, as though his son weren't just in a brawl.

She nodded absently, kneeling down to her son's level to examine his quickly bruising eye. Not another word was spoken for several seconds, until Severus finally said, quite sullenly, "My condolences."

Hermione's mouth dropped open at the rude words, but before she could defend her husband Snape was already leaving, Julien and another, younger boy following behind. Scowling, Hermione shook her head, turning her eyes back to Eli and caressing his injured face. It would seem that even the descending generations would not avoid the hostility between the Black's and Snape's. Before Hermione had even gotten a chance to try and remedy the dark feelings it was too late.


	8. Chapter 8: A New Acquaintance

**AN:**** okay, yes, I know, this is an insanely short chapter, but it needed to be done and hopefully the next one will be better—AND Sirius will be coming back, so extra bonus there! So enjoy, and please review with your thoughts and especially story ideas or stuff you might want to see me do. Those messages make me **_**insanely **_**happy. I love new ideas, they just create entirely new plot bunnies to bounce around in my head. These little bunnies also help me feel more enthusiastic about writing. Sooooo, yeah. Ideas are wonderful. Thanks.**

**I'd also like to thank some reviewers and answer any questions they might have presented.**

**Thanks to CeliaEquus, Wolfwifey0611, 90sgurl, Readerforlife, Zaiden Jace, Sir Stud Muffin, jezz, and MesshaBlack, I'm glad you all like my story!**

**Drusila1987, I'm so happy you're enjoying my story, and sorry Sirius isn't back yet, but next chapter for sure. Any suggestions on how to have him help make amends? I have some ideas but more would be awesome =)**

**sweet-tang-honney, I'm glad you like how I'm doing Hermione, pleased to know I'm succeeding in my plot to keep all you readers guessing =D**

**TaiyoukaiMars, I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Really happy that I'm making the interactions between Hermione and Sirius, and then them and the kids in a way that is appealing to you, hope it goes the same with everyone else. And of course Snape is gonna have kids! If Sirius does then Snape has to too—plus, it just seems like a fun idea to have Sirius and Severus's kids grow up together. As far as seeing them in the future… well, you'll just have to keep reading ;)**

**And lauren, I'm sorry my story didn't fit your taste. Though I would like to point out that the potion wasn't "cloning", it was basically the same process as any child development, just at an accelerated rate and outside the womb. Same process of the different GNA from the parents blending to make a child. I'm also sorry you didn't enjoy the idea of the age gap. I realize a lot of people feel uncomfortable with that, but I honestly don't see the logic in Sirius somehow becoming younger—I don't understand how that would be possible. Even if behind the veil it somehow turned his clock around, he'd only be a few years younger than he is now, which isn't much of a difference. So I opted for the more realistic route. And while I realize that the idea of a potion creating kids is a bit "ridiculous" I'd like to point out that it wouldn't take away from the bond formed. Keep in mind there are many, many people out there who adopt children and they still have just as close of a bond with them as a parent who gives birth to a child. **

**So, now that all those questions, comments, and thanks are out of the way, enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 8:**_**A New Acquaintance**_

There's one fact about having kids—you tend to have to make a lot of trips to the grocery store. Not only for food and snacks, but lets not forget all those diapers. So, while Sirius would often help by either running to the store or watching the kids so she could, Hermione found herself in an unfortunate situation. She was at the local wizard's general store with four children, all of who were in varied states of insanity. Ian had missed his nap and was cranky, little Rosie had caught a cold and was sulking moodily in the basket, Noah had gotten a hold of a bag of sugar earlier (you can imagine the results of that), and Eli was scowling in annoyance as Noah pestered him endlessly.

Sighing in frustration Hermione ran a hand through her particularly messy hair. She'd been up all night with Ian (he'd had another sleepless night) and a sick little Rose. She'd ended up getting zero sleep and to say she was tired would be an understatement. Pushing the shopping cart down the diaper aisle Hermione scanned the different brands. She still was a bit puzzled on what brands were best for Ian, and she inspected them intently. Pampers, Huggies, Luvs… so many options. And that wasn't even taking into consideration the reusable options.

Ian's fussing brought her attention away from the diapers and back to the kids.

"Shh, its okay little one, just a few more minutes and we can get home for your nap." She soothed desperately, taking his pacifier and putting it in his mouth, only for him to spit it out and start crying even louder.

"Mummy," Eli said, tugging at her pants leg.

"Hm?" she hummed distractedly, unbuckling Ian from his seat to lift him into her arms to try and quiet him.

"Where's Noah?"

Hermione's attention was instantly caught, her eyes snapping to her eldest son. "What?"

He shrugged, "I don't see Noah. Where'd he go?"

Eyes taking in her surroundings quickly, she saw that Noah was, indeed, missing. Panic began rising up, gripping at her as her desperately searched the aisle with her eyes again, as if she might have missed him. Looking at Eli and forcing a smile that she hoped looked unworried she answered, "I'm not sure, but we'll find him in a moment."

Eli's expression seemed to grow serious, as though he understood that panic that was quickly escalating within his mother. Taking lead he ran down to the end of the aisle, calling out Noah's name quite loudly. Hermione rushed to follow so as not to lose another of her sons, eyes darting about frantically.

Rounding a corner she first saw a man, dressed in slacks and a nice shirt. Slim and a bit on the tall side she first noticed he seemed to be looking around, too. The next thing she noticed was he was holding the hand of a little boy. Her little boy.

"Noah!" she cried, and he looked up instantly, his frightened face instantly lighting up with a smile. Putting Ian down in his seat she held her arms out and smiled wide as her baby boy came running at her, throwing himself into her arms. Hermione picked him up entirely, hugging him tight as his little arms and legs wrapped around her, his face burying itself into her hair.

"Oh, my baby, don't you ever do that to me again!" she scolded as she held him tightly, kissing the side of his head as her heart began slowing to a more normal rate.

"Mummy, Mummy! I was looking at the toy wands and then you were gone! I couldn't find you anywhere, and then Mr. Nice Man helped me find you!" Noah explained, pulling back to point out "Mr. Nice Man" for his mother.

Said man smiled slightly, approaching them slowly. Hermione watched him carefully, making sure he wasn't some sort of freak of any time. The man must have noticed, because he smirked a bit and held up his hands, "I come in peace." He pointed to the badge that was pinned to his shirt, "I'm the co-owner of this store. Just in for my monthly inspection when I stumbled upon your son."

She relaxed. "Thank you. I'm normally not this careless." Was her promise, reluctantly lowering Noah to the floor to pick up the still fussing Ian. This time, however, she was keeping a very close eye on him. "I'm just kind of new at this."

He waved it off, "No harm no foul."

The man seemed to pause for a moment, taking in her appearance. She blushed slightly, knowing she looked a total mess. Her hair was as wild as ever, she was wearing old jeans and a oversized sweatshirt that did nothing for her figure, and her face was pale with bloodshot eyes and heavy, black bags under them. She was hardly looking her best—he probably thought she was some sort of druggy or something.

"Sebastian Marwick." He stuck his hand out for a shake, and she accepted it, shifting Ian so she could hold him with one arm.

"Hermione Granger—err, no, sorry, Black. Hermione Black," she corrected. "Still getting used to that…"

He nodded in understanding, though she saw the familiar flash of recognition, "Black… as in _Sirius _Black?"

"The one and only." It was an absentminded response, because she was busy pulling out a bottle to feed to her cranky son.

"Huh. I hadn't thought they would make wizards of his age marry."

Hermione shrugged, "Well, he never married, and his generation is still more than capable of procreating."

Sebastian's eyebrows shot up and Hermione's face flamed, "No, that's not what I meant!" they rose even higher and her face grew hotter, if that were possible, "Well, I mean, I'm sure he's quite capable but…" she shook her head as a smile began growing on the man's face, "I'm going to shut up now before I dig an even bigger hole for myself."

He laughed, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh along with him. It was infectious—honestly, Hermione had no choice but to laugh along. He seemed like a friendly, easygoing type of guy, whom everyone knew and got along with.

They spent the next ten or so minutes just idly chatting, and then Hermione and Sebastian separated—but not before Sebastian had convinced her to go to coffee with him on Saturday so they could become better acquainted. Hermione, desperate for adult interaction outside of the same group of people and away from children for a few hours, agreed. Within another ten or so minutes Hermione checked out of the store and flooed home with the kids and her groceries, with the time and place of her little coffee "date" with Sebastian.


	9. Chapter 9: I'm Home! Who the Hell is He?

**AN:**** another chapter is up! This was pretty fun to write for me, so I hope you all enjoy it. =)**

**I'd like to thank my reviewers, you're all amazing and every time I get a review it just makes me unbelievably happy. You have no idea. I'd especially like to thank CeliaEquus, Gemini Emerald Amethyst Malfoy, and Tamara Caitlyn. You're reviews just made my day, for various reasons. Mostly because they either amused me or helped me feel like I wasn't a complete failure as a writer or a perv, or whatever else some people have called me throughout this story. Anyways, love you all, and even if you weren't one of the three I mentioned there were a **_**lot**_** of reviews that just left me smiling. Honestly—reviews totally make a crummy day spectacular for me. I'm very critical on myself about my writing so often put myself down and think I'm an awful writer and should just give up—and then I get a review and it reminds me that some people actually enjoy my stuff! So keep up the reviews! Thank you =)**

**Disclaimer:**** as always, don't own. If I did I wouldn't be posting this all as a fanfic!**

**Chapter 9:**_** I'm Home…! Who the Hell is He?**_

Three weeks. Three weeks away in Belgium and finally he would be coming home. Every step closer he came to their house the happier he became. It was surprising even to himself, but he had deeply missed his little chipmunks. He missed the lazy afternoons of just sitting on the couch, little Rosie snuggled in his lap with Eli sitting beside him and Noah on the floor, an arm hugging Sirius's leg. He missed waking up to the smell of the fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen, walking in to see Hermione serving the kids and gracing them all with her lovely smile. He even missed all the messes, moments of panic, and spurts of lost tempers. Hell, he missed Hermione yelling at him. He wanted to be back home, living in the hectic house that had become his life.

Speaking of Hermione, he remembered their stoic parting, Hermione not seeming as though she gave a horse's arse whether he stayed or went. He knew better, now. She was hurt that he would leave her so soon—she was only twenty years old after all, it was natural for her to feel insecure. He could easily admit he hadn't had to deal with a girl so young as her and her insecurities in quite some time, so how to reassure her was unknown. However, in any spare moment he could find while working—which were far and in-between—he'd been plotting ways to show he wasn't just going to abandon her with four children. He hadn't come up with much aside from Belgium chocolates and a new book. He decided roses would be a bit contradictory. After all, they die. Knowing Hermione, she'd probably read too much into that fact and come up with some absurd idea about a broken promise in the making or some other such nonsense.

Still, with chocolate and book in hand he walked up the path to his front door, his traveling trunk dragged behind him. Pausing at the door he released his trunk for a moment to pull out his wand he lowered the wards, then stuffed it back into his pocket and opened the door, entering and setting his things down. He could hear noise from the kitchen and figured it was about dinner. Smiling at the prospect of seeing his family he approached, stepping through the archway and into the warm room that smelt of stir-fry.

"I'm home!" he said, taking in the scene before him. It was like any other night, the kids sitting at the table coloring and chatting with their mother while she cooked. Only tonight, there was one difference. A man.

He was tall (though not as tall as Sirius, he noted with a twinge of satisfaction) with tan skin, and wavy brown hair that went about to his chin. There was light freckling on his face, he was smiling and laughing with _Sirius's _family, and seemed far too comfortable in that kitchen. Sirius hated him the moment he laid eyes on him.

"Daddy!" his munchkins cried, jumping from their chairs and swarming him like flies to honey. He forced his eyes away from the intruder and onto the Black children, grinning wide and enveloping them all in a tight bear hug.

"Hello all, miss me?" he teased, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads and deflecting their 'did you get me anything' questions with a promise of showing them after supper. Looking up from the kids he again looked at the man, feeling his face instantly lose the smile.

The man grinned in a friendly manner and held out his hand, "Sebastian Marwick, nice to finally meet you."

Sirius looked at the hand as though it were a disease, and then brought his gaze to Hermione, who seemed stuck in mid thought.

"Hermione, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?" he asked, his gaze drifting back to the Marwick character and turning steely. "Alone." He emphasized.

Hermione sighed and nodded, passing her wooden spoon over to _him_. The kid, sensing an impending fight, hurriedly went back to the table to finish their drawings. The couple walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Once Sirius was sure none of the kids or, Merlin forbid, _Marwick_, had followed he pointed toward the kitchen.

"Who the hell is that?" he demanded in a harsh whisper, having trouble keeping his voice down.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him, "For your information he's friend of mine."

"What's he doing here?" Sirius snapped.

"I invited him over to help with dinner. Believe it or not it's a little difficult to cook and care for four kids at the same time." Hermione hissed, also struggling to keep her voice down. Sirius seemed to shrink away at this, knowing she still felt abandoned, but pushed the guilt away. _He _hadn't let some strange man into the house.

"Why couldn't you have invited Ginny over?"

"She has two kids of her own, and Harry has been pulling double shifts to try and get in overtime to take off a few months around the time when the baby is due. We'd end up having to watch six kids, we'd spend more time making sure they aren't causing trouble than we would cooking." The tone of her voice told just how ridiculous this idea sounded.

"What about your mum?"

"Tonight's my parents date night."

"Lavender?"

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, "Seriously?" he waved the idea off, understanding her unvoiced point. Hermione could hardly put up with the girl, plus she had three little boys and was going through horrible morning sickness—or more correctly, just sickness. It seemed that it didn't matter what time of day it was, Lavender would randomly just dart away to the bathroom at any time. If anything she'd be more of a nuisance to Hermione than a help.

"Just... someone. _Anyone_. Just not him." Sirius practically begged, shooting the kitchen a glare.

"Sirius, you don't even know him!" she explained, throwing her arms up. "He's been nothing but a gentleman, and has been a huge help for the last two weeks."

"You mean he's been coming over regularly?"

"Yes, he has. He watches the kids so I can try and do a bit of work—or did you forget that my vacation ended last week?"

He had, actually. It had slipped his mind completely, though it shouldn't have. Work was one of the most important things to Hermione—she always had to be doing something, making a difference in some way. He should have known she'd need help with the kids when she was trying to complete her projects. But really—_him_? That man was the best she could find? Some strange, handsome character that was probably just bidding his time to the perfect moment to get _his _wife in bed? Sirius didn't like it. He wasn't even entirely sure why he didn't like it. After all, he and Hermione weren't in any relationship. They were simply two people, forced into a situation and working as best they could to not screw up the kids they were given. He should be happy that Hermione was going to find someone to have fun with or whatever. But he wasn't. Because, being a man, Hermione being his wife made her _his_. He'd always been selfish, and he wasn't too noble to say that he didn't want to give what her up. They may not have been in love, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let that Marwick worm his way into _his _place in this family.

"What's that?" Hermione cut into his thinking to point at the book and chocolates still in his hand.

Sirius looked at the objects and blinked, seeming to have forgotten about them completely. "They're... well, I wanted to say I was sorry..." he mumbled, feeling a little strange in the situation. After an argument he wasn't sure if apologizing for leaving was the best timing... shaking the idea away, though, he put on his most charming and apologetic smile. If he wanted to secure his place in Hermione's life, and keep _Sebastian Marwick _out, he had to get on good terms with her.

"Love, I know I shouldn't have left, and there wasn't a moment that I wasn't regretting being gone. I abandoned you, and I should have tried harder to get some time off." He held the book and Belgium chocolates out to her and flashed a winning grin, "Forgive me?"

Hermione took the trinkets of his affection, examining the box of chocolates—her favorite type and filling she noted—and then looked at the book. It was one she'd been trying to get a hold of for awhile, and she was surprised he remembered her mentioning it. She felt the anger leaving slowly and gave a tentative smile to her husband.

"Thank you, Sirius, this is great." He grinned, and Hermione stepped forward and hugged him around the middle. He hugged her back, resting his cheek on her head for a moment. Gray eyes looking to the doorway of the kitchen he saw Marwick standing there, watching them hug with an expression of irritation. Sirius raised his brows challengingly, and the message was clearly communicated.

This was war.


	10. Chapter 10: It's a Date!

**AN:**** Hey all! Thank you for your patience, life and everything caught up with me and distracted me from writing, but another chapter is up and I should have the next one up within a few days! As always, thanks to my reviewers, you're all wonderful and I adore hearing from you. Please keep it up! If everything goes the way I hope I should have this story finished by the end of summer, though no promises there, that's just my wishful thinking. Anyways, read, enjoy, and review! Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.**

**Disclaimer:**** as usual I do not own anything but a few of the original characters.**

**Chapter 10:**_** It's a Date!**_

Upon Sirius's return life went back to normal. Well, almost. Hermione was no longer on vacation, now having assignments to do and turn in via owl every day, with only weekends for a break. Sirius was once again allowed in his bedroom, but it hardly made much of a difference since his lovely young wife spent most of her nights either working or taking care of one of the kids. Ian, now three months old, had yet to get over his colic. It had reduced slightly, but still most nights would be spent awake with their son. Sirius did his best to help, but no matter who was caring for him the tears never seemed to end. Often the couple would find themselves in the kitchen, sitting with mugs of tea in hand, simply keeping the other company in the few spare moments of silence. And then Ian would be crying again, or Rosie would have a nightmare, or Noah would wet the bed and Eli would insist on trying to help, only to end up getting in the way and slowing the process.

Along with the restless nights, Sirius was also bitter to note that Marwick was still hanging around. Hermione would need a break and go to tea with him—apparently a habit she'd picked up while he'd been in Belgium—or they'd need a babysitter one afternoon and somehow or another Marwick would end up being the guy in charge. Or, Merlin forbid, the days when he'd just drop by to "say hello." Those were by far the worst. Not only was Sirius forced to be around the slimy git, but he also had to play the part of the polite, unconcerned husband.

The only upside as of yet was that his two youngest seemed to hate Marwick as much as he did. Rosie, while ever the quiet girl, seemed as hesitant around him as she was anyone other than her parents. Whenever the prick smiled at her or asked her a question she simply stared up at him as though he were some sort of dull puzzle, then climb up into Sirius's lap and busy herself with messing with his watch or examining his hands. Ian's dislike for him, however, could simply be that he was too cranky to deal with some stranger. Whatever the case when Marwick picked him up he would start screaming up a storm. Granted, he did that with just about anyone other than Hermione and Sirius, but it still gave his father a twinge of pride for his youngest.

Noah were quite friendly towards the man, acting towards him like they could any of their uncles. Noah thought him to be some sort of hero (Sirius assumed this was because he "saved him" in the grocery store) and would spend unending amounts of time simply asking him random questions. For anyone else Sirius would tell Noah to lay off and go play with his toys. However, Noah's questions almost always took great deals of time away from his wife and rival spending time together. Needless to say, he never felt the desire to quiet Noah, and so Marwick usually spent at least a quarter of his time in their home answering random questions. Sirius knew that eventually the novelty of his son's "hero" would ware off and the questions would end, but until that time he was going to use the boy's endless curiosity to his best advantage of keeping the man away from Hermione.

Eli too liked the man, though Sirius suspected the little boy understood a bit more of what was happening than he let on. He'd catch Eli glancing between Hermione and Marwick now and then, a furrow in his brow similar to his mother when trying to solve a particularly difficult problem. Sirius also noticed that, whenever an opportunity appeared, often Eli would drag either Hermione or Marwick away from each other. Sirius wasn't sure if it were intentional or not, but regardless he loved his son for it.

While observing Hermione with her new friend she seemed quite true to her earlier words—she didn't seem particularly interested in him other than a platonic manner. Then again, would she honestly show her attraction in front of her husband and children? But surely some sort of signs would show? Sirius wasn't so sure. He didn't know Hermione as well as he should have, and he surely didn't understand the usual signs she showed when attracted to a man. With Ron she simply fought with him a lot, but then again she'd never _really _liked him in that way, simply mistook her feelings. And seeing as Marwick never seemed to have an off day and was always the picture of happiness, how could one ever start a fight with him? He just agreed to everything Hermione said. How could she possibly find that attractive? There was no challenge at all!

Whatever the case, Sirius wouldn't be rid of Marwick as easily as he had hoped, but it also seemed the bastard wouldn't be able to worm his way in _too _closely without some extra effort. But Sirius hoped to put up a good, solid bridge between himself and Hermione before Marwick would have that chance.

**0o.o0o.o0o.o0**

"Hermione," Sirius said, pausing in the middle of making a sandwich for Noah—extra peanutbutter, no crust, one banana cut diagonally into four strips, not a whole bunch of little circles. Hermione looked up from her chair where she was breastfeeding Ian. A blanket was thrown over to ward off unwanted eyes, but Sirius knew what was going on over there and it was starting to make him a tad uncomfortable. She raised her eyebrows, indicating she was listening. "How do you feel about going to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Dinner?" she asked, the surprise at his suggestion evident in her voice.

"Yeah, you know; restaurant, eating, small talk? Some time for the two of us to have away from the kids." Finished putting the peanut butter on the bread and picked up a banana, he was taking a bit longer than normal to peel it while he waited for his wife to respond. Hermione's brows was furrowed in thought, seeming skeptical.

"I don't know, Sirius…" she started, though quickly was interrupted by her husband.

"C'mon, love, just one night. Dinner, maybe come back and watch a movie—maybe even a movie rated above G! And it'll give you plenty of time to take that long relaxing bath you keep saying you've been dying for since the kids came. No chasing and battling kids because its bedtime. A full night sleep, maybe even a lie in the next morning." His words were so tempting, voiced in such a hypnotic way that she couldn't imagine saying no—especially to such a rare offer of all the things she'd been wanting since mid-August. And it was just _one _night…

"Okay," she relented, her lip twitching slightly when he beamed at her as though she'd made his year. "I'll floo Bastian—"

"Don't worry about babysitters, love, I already called your parents and they'd be more than happy to take the kids for the night," Sirius rushed to say, not allowing her to finish her suggestion. At her narrowed look he added, "They've wanted to spend more time with them."

"Alright, I'll call to make double sure though," Hermione relented, shifting Ian under the blanket before pulling it off of her and starting to walk from the room.

"Great, it's a date then!" Sirius called, causing her to pause and glance at him over her should. "You know, like a study date, but without the studying. That kind of date," he clarified, hardly keeping his composure.

Her lip twitched again and she nodded, "It's a date." And then she was out of the kitchen, heading upstairs to put Ian down for a nap.

Sirius watched her go, grinning like a fool. Finally he would have her, just the two of them. Nothing to distract them, no Marwick to jump in and ruin things; yes, things would go swimmingly tomorrow. He would win his wife's affections. Marwick would _not_ replace him.


	11. Chapter 11: Uninvited

**AN:** So, sorry this took a billion years to get posted, was having trouble getting it going the way I wanted. And I ended it sooner than I hoped because I really wanted to get _something _out to you patient readers. So yeah, I think this one is pretty fun, hope you all enjoy it! Oh, and of course, please read and review, I LOVE reading reviews, especially ones with details and thoughtful comments and stuff. Really, you have no idea how giddy I get… so yeah, anyways, review please!

**Disclaimer:** do not own anything but the kiddies, and our good friend Sebastian Marwick. If it was in the books, it isn't mine!

**Chapter 11:**_** Uninvited**_

"Hermione, we're going to be late!" Sirius called up the stairs, glancing at his watch impatiently.

Tonight was their night out together, just the two of them. They had a reservation at a quaint little Italian restaurant in London, and at the speed Hermione was going they would miss it for sure. He'd never pegged her for the kind of girl to take so long preening, but apparently she was. If he'd know that he would have told her they were leaving an hour earlier. Letting out another impatient sigh he glanced at his watch again to see another five minutes had passed.

"Hermione!" he called again, his voice edged with annoyance.

"Alright, alright, don't get your wand in a knot, I'm ready," Hermione said laughingly, descending the stairs unhurriedly.

Sirius couldn't stop the soft smile that pulled at his lips when he saw her. Now Sirius wasn't naïve to mistake his feelings for Hermione as love—they weren't anywhere near that deep, and his interest in earning her affections was for the purpose of having a place in this family and a possibility at someday being in love. But despite that, looking at the young woman in that moment took his breath away. She had never been a great beauty—she was no Fleur—but Sirius thought she looked quite pretty in an earthy, modest sort of way. With the kids dropped off at her parents' house early she'd had the time to cast extra charms on her hair to reduce her usual frizz so that it instead fell around her shoulders in pretty curls. They were in no way glossy and perfect, and looking at it Sirius almost thought the frizz would explode at any moment, but despite the threatening possibility it still looked quite nice as it fell around her shoulders. She'd dressed in a red dress that went down to her knees and complimented her tan complexion. It was in no way revealing or suggestive, instead making her look far more sophisticated than Sirius had seen her since they'd joined forced and she'd taken to wearing jeans and t-shirts most of the time, aside from the occasional day she had to run to the office. She'd finished off the look with a dash of light makeup and black heels. Sirius didn't think he'd ever seen her look so good.

"You look beautiful," he complimented, handing Hermione her cloak which she took with a smile.

"Thank you." Putting the cloak on as she glanced at the clock on the wall she indicated her head toward the door. "Well, we'd best be off then, wouldn't want to be late."

She turned, and Sirius saw the small smirk that played on her lips at his astounded expression. Shaking his head, his own smirk forming, he followed her out the door, pulling it shut behind him and setting up the wards with a flick of his wand.

Despite their late start Hermione and Sirius arrived at the restaurant with time to spare. They were situated at a nice little table. It wasn't secluded away in any corner for romantic purposes, though it also wasn't in the smack dab middle of the room. It was towards the front of the restaurant, off on the left side away from the front doors. It was the sort of table a couple of friends might sit at if they wanted to have a friendly, open chat, but without quite as much noise and movement. The perfect spot, Sirius thought, to become better acquainted with Hermione without any interruptions from children or certain _friends_.

"So," Sirius said as he picked up his menu, "how is work?"

Sirius was not the least bit interested in S.P.E.W., or any of it's goals. His experience with house elves had never been pleasant and he saw little point in his young wife's campaign for their wellbeing. However, _she _was very passionate about the subject. In fact, she was nearly obsessive. He'd never taken the time to understand her desire to help the creatures and knew that, even if he didn't agree, she's at the very least appreciate his interest and willingness to listen and discuss the controversial issue.

Hermione looked up from scanning the menu, her eyes brightening at this choice of topic. "Well, it is very difficult. Unfortunately many of the people I work with still have very archaic views on house elves. _But _I have been making progress. Slowly, of course, this is hardly something that can be changed overnight, but I'm confident that soon I'll have swayed a few of the more influential members of the board. If I can get _them _to agree with my campaign it will only be a matter of time before I have all the votes I need to send the S.P.E.W. act up to Kingsley."

"And you think Kingsley will pass it?" her older companion questioned, taking a sip of water.

She paused, brows furrowing, "Well," she said slowly, seeming to weigh her words carefully, "I don't believe he would refuse the act."

Sirius raised his brows, "But you aren't fully confident he will pass it?"

Hermione sighed, letting out a small puff of a laugh as she pushed some hair behind her ear, "Well, even if he doesn't pass it, I'll keep trying until he does. I'll get more evidence, more votes, and even public support if needed."

He grinned at her, "Hermione Granger doesn't do anything halfway," he noted.

She grinned back, then gave a mock scolding look, "That's Hermione _Black_, thank you very much."

This was met with a bark of laughter from Sirius, soon joined by Hermione's own infectious giggle. Composing himself, Sirius looked back down at the menu, glancing it over.

"What were you thinking of getting?" he questioned.

"Might I suggest starting with the bruschetta al pomodoro as an appetizer, followed by the caprese insalata, and finishing with the linguini di mare as your entrée. Unless, of course, you're in more of a meat mood, in which case I highly recommend the saltimbocca." The voice came from behind and to the right of Sirius. The man froze, his back going ramrod straight as he recognized the voice. It was the voice that belonged to the devil, and he dared not look and see with his eyes what he already knew.

Sebastian Marwick appeared beside the table now, smiling down at the couple—or, more specifically, at Hermione. Hermione, for her part, looked pleased as punch to see her friend. Sirius, on the other hand, had a blank expression, but his eyes looked like a smoldering gray storm. If this had been a cartoon there would surely have been steam coming out of his ears.

_Should have put the bastard on babysitter duty, _he thought viciously, hating for not having seen this coming.

"Bastian, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, still smile up at Sebastian.

"Coincidence my arse," Sirius muttered, glaring at the intruder.

Hermione, having her him speak but not his words, turned to look at him curiously, "What was that, Sirius?"

"I just said how it truly _was _a coincidence, that's all dear," he replied, plastering on a fake smile. Locking eyes with the younger man, the two exchanged a look that said they knew _exactly _what Sirius had said. Marwick's lip twitched into a small smirk, making Sirius's blood boil.

Turning to address the young woman, Marwick smiled, "Well it just so happens that a good friend of mine owns this restaurant—thus, I have an open invitation to eat here whenever I like. It has excellent food, I assure you. I was just going to have a dinner to myself tonight." He explained this so easily, weaving his words to make it seem almost pitiable that he was eating alone. Sirius saw his wife's face softening at his misfortune—to think, he was eating all alone! She was becoming putting in the young man's hands, Sirius could see her melting right in front of him. So, it came as no surprise when she next spoke.

"Eat alone? Oh no, you can join Sirius and I, we're just having a little time away from the kids, and we really don't mind," she turned to look at her husband, "do we Sirius?"

Now, Sirius was about to say just how much he did mind having the wife-stealing wanker dine with him, but he saw the look on Hermione's face and realize that this was not a conversation up for debate. So, forcing a pained smile, he looked up at his rival.

"Sure we don't. Have a seat, Marwick," he bit out the name, clenching his teeth in displeasure at how the evening was turning out. Idly he thought of ways he could murder Sebastian Marwick without anyone knowing it had been him. Maybe he could slip some poison in the man's tea when he came for one of his random visits. Or, maybe during the night, when Hermione was asleep, he could sneak out and go kill the pest in his sleep. Or he could perhaps find a way to get one of those giant spiders from the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts into Marwick's house. Or he could make a portkey and have it bring Marwick to the Forbidden Forest to experience all the horrors all at once. Yes, he liked that idea a great deal.

Watching Marwick pull up a chair from an empty table nearby he seated himself between the couple, closer to Hermione, Sirius noticed with distain.

_Yes, I'm definitely gonna talk to Harry about getting an unregistered portkey…_ he decided, eyeing the distance between the two other table occupants irritably. Hermione, of course, noticed nothing. For such a smart witch she truly was clueless.

This was gonna be a long night.


End file.
